Fresh Frozen Rib Cartilage Grafts in Revision Rhinoplasty: A 9-Year Experience

Background: Revision rhinoplasty is undoubtedly one of the most challenging procedures in facial plastic surgery. The complexity is compounded when there is a paucity of native septal cartilage to perform the required framework reconstruction. Harvest of autologous costal cartilage can result in increased operative times and possible secondary-site complications such as contour irregularity, poor scarring, and even pneumothorax. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of the senior author's (R.J.R.) patients from 2011 to 2020 who underwent primary or revision rhinoplasty. Inclusion criteria consisted of patients with fresh frozen off-the-shelf cartilage used in revision rhinoplasty only with a minimum of 6 months' follow-up. Outcomes for evaluation were warping, resorption, displacement, and infection. Results: The authors identified 226 patients who underwent open rhinoplasty with the use of fresh frozen rib cartilage grafts and met inclusion criteria. The mean follow-up period was 12.18 months (range, 6 months to 8 years). The majority of patients had undergone one prior rhinoplasty procedure (54 percent); however, 4 percent of patients had undergone four or more prior procedures on their nose. The overall infection rate was 2.7 percent (n = 6), with the majority successfully managed with antibiotics alone (2.3 percent). Conclusions: The results in revision rhinoplasty are significantly enhanced with the creation of a stable nasal framework using off-the-shelf, easily accessible, specifically tailored fresh frozen cadaveric rib grafts. The long-term outcomes and complication rate in this 9-year retrospective study demonstrates the safety of fresh frozen rib graft in comparison to autologous or irradiated rib graft.