M. Mutaf et al., GROWTH-POTENTIAL OF AUTOGENOUS CARTILAGE GRAFTS IN EXPANDED SKIN - ANEXPERIMENTAL-STUDY IN RABBITS, Annals of plastic surgery, 32(2), 1994, pp. 126-131
The effect of tissue expansion on the growth potential of autogenous c
artilage grafts was studied in 10-day-old New Zealand white rabbits. T
he rabbits were divided into two groups: In Group 1 (n = 12) after 2 w
eeks of tissue expansion by using a 10-ml tissue expander, a cranially
based 4 x 4-cm dorsal skin flap was raised and a 1 x 1-cm autogenous
cartilage graft from the midportion of the left ear was transplanted b
eneath the flap in each rabbit. In Group 2 (n = 12) elevation of dorsa
l skin flaps and transplantation of the grafts were performed in the s
ame way but without a previous tissue expansion. The grafts were remov
ed at 30 and 60 days after transplantation in both groups, for histolo
gical examination and measurement of the dimensional changes to determ
ine the growth rate. In both groups, histological examination revealed
characteristic findings for cartilage growth, however, Group 1 (expan
sion) demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the growth
of cartilage grafts when compared with Group 2 (control) (p = 0.0001).
The results of this study indicate, from the standpoint of acceptance
and growth potential of autogenous cartilage framework, that there is
no drawback to using this tissue expansion technique for reconstructi
on of the ear in childhood.