Surgical pathology of implanted specimens following rhinoplasty

Abstract

The histopathological features of rhinoplasty-related implanted grafts can be classified as costal cartilages, nasal septum cartilages, and ear cartilages.　Costal cartilage can be subdivided into autologous and irradiated homologous costal cartilages.　The histopathological features of these cartilages include the survival rate of the implanted chondrocytes, but also degeneration/replacement-fibrosis of the cartilaginous matrix, chondrocyte necrosis, multinucleated chondrocytes, chondrocyte vacuolation and cloning, cartilaginous metaplastic changes, inflammatory features, and ossification.　In some cases, implanted chondrocytes themselves transform into fibroblasts and may contribute to the replacement-fibrosis of the cartilaginous matrix.　Other rhinoplasty-related implanted grafts include polycaprolactone, composed of rounded-spaces and collagen-rich artificial dermis.　These artificial grafts may be histologically degenerated, inflamed, and/or neovascularized to varying degrees.