Ultrastructure of Temporalis Muscle Fascia Used as Molded Ear Drum Graft / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

Molded tympanic graft is beneficial in the difficult cases of middle ear surgery, for instance, total perforation of ear drum or revision surgery. For producing molded graft, it is essential to treat the graft material with physico-chemical methods. However, morphological change by influence to the epithelial migration by treatment of graft have not been clarified. To evaluate the morphological effects of molding process on the graft, human temporalis muscle fascias were taken and molded through drying, heating or treatment with chemical preservatives. Their ultrastructures were also evaluated using scanning electron microscope. In molding process, drying of fascia produced widening of interfiber space as well as flattening and fusion of fibers. Heating of fascia produced crater-like defects with amorphous matrix. Formaldehyde preservation induced more remarkable changes of fascia than alcohol.