ABSTRACT
Diced cartilage graft is commonly used in plastic and reconstructive surgery such as auricular reconstruction and rhinoplasty. Wrapping diced cartilage with fascia or surgicel or other wrappers can affect the survival of cartilage grafts. This study was carried out to verify the survival of cartilage grafts when they are unwrapped or wrapped with surgicel versus fascia. This study was carried out on 20 adult male albino rabbits. They were divided into four equal groups. Cartilage grafts were harvested from both ears of group I. One part was used as the control and the other part was diced into 0.5-mm pieces and implanted into subcutaneous dorsal pockets of the other three groups as follows: group II received unwrapped diced cartilage grafts, group III received diced cartilage graft wrapped in surgicel, and group IV received diced cartilage graft wrapped in fascia. At the end of the eighth week, the rabbits were sacrificed and the original surgical sites were incised with their implants. The specimens were prepared for histological and immunohistochemical study using glial fibrillary acidic protein to be examined by means of a light microscope. Cartilage grafts wrapped in fascia showed the best survival, and cell viability was more or less similar to that of normal cartilage. They showed significant increase in the nuclear lacunar count, number of glial fibrillary acidic protein -positive chondrocytes, and in the pixel intensity of Mallory trichrome-stained sections. This was superior to those kept without wrapping and to those wrapped in surgicel. Diced cartilage grafts wrapped with fascia demonstrated normal cartilage architecture with respect to chondrocyte viability and collagen and elastic content compared with cartilage grafts kept without wrapping or those wrapped in surgicel