Reconstruction of tracheal defects with dehydrated human costal cartilage:An experimental study in rots

Reconstruction of tracheal defects continues to be a difficult problem in h ead and neck surgery. In this study, to evaluate the outcomes of tracheal r econstruction with a nonautogenous material, we used solvent-dehydrated hum an costal cartilage in 3 different forms: graft, neovascularized graft, and prefabricated free flap. Thirty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were distributed into 3 groups with 10 animals in groups 1, 10 in group 2, and 15 in group 3 . Surgically created tracheal defects were repaired with a free cartilage g raft in group 1, and a piece of cartilage was neovascularized for 3 weeks i n the inguinal region and then used as a fibrovascular tissue-coated cartil age graft in group 2. In group 3, the neovascularized cartilage was transfe rred to the defect as a prefabricated free flap based on a vascular pedicle containing femoral vessels. Four weeks later, the tracheal reconstruction specimens were evaluated with light microscopy to determine cartilage survi val, infection, and epithelial regrowth. The most favorable outcomes were o btained in group 3, where the material was used as a prefabricated neovascu larized free flap.