Long-term Outcomes on Patients with Microtia after Autogenous Costal Cartilage Reconstruction

Abstract

Autologous costal cartilage grafts remain the gold standard method for microtia reconstruction. However, reports on its long-term outcomes are limited. We present two cases with >40-year outcomes after auricular reconstruction with autologous costal cartilage. A 56 year-old woman and a 53 year-old man presented to our institution with complaints of wire exposure. In both cases, the reconstructed ear was deformed. A computerized tomography scan revealed calcification of the reconstructed costal cartilage graft framework. To our knowledge, these cases present the longest outcomes (50 and 42 years for the 56 year-old woman and 53 year-old man, respectively) of microtia reconstruction using autologous cartilage grafts. We found that ear frameworks constructed from costal cartilage tended to calcify in the long term, as in the natural course of costal cartilage. Therefore, the possibility of calcification of costal cartilage grafts should be relayed to patients and parents, and lifelong surveillance after reconstruction should be recommended.

Keywords

• autologous costal cartilage grafts
• microtia reconstruction
• auricular reconstruction
• calcification
• ear frameworks