Experimental study of the use of auricular cartilage with and without Gelfoam® on the nasal dorsum of rabbits(,)

INTRODUCTIONS: There are several materials for reconstruction of nasal dorsum deformities, which are divided into four categories: autologous, homologous, heterologous, and alloplastic grafts. OBJECTIVE: To compare experimental conditions through inflammatory time reactions in ear cartilage grafts with and without Gelfoam® when grafted on the nasal dorsum of rabbits. METHODS: This study included 30 rabbits, divided into two groups of 15 rabbits each (Gelfoam® and cartilage group and cartilage group), and then divided into three sub-groups of 7, 30, and 60 days of follow-up, where the 1.5 cm long and 0.5 wide grafts were placed in the stock grafting on the nasal dorsum of rabbits, half with and half without Gelfoam®. After the specified period, the rabbits in each group were euthanized, and the grafts were then submitted to a histological study. RESULTS: The experimental group revealed more neovascularization and granulation tissue formation; in terms of the presence of acute and chronic inflammatory process, the results were virtually identical in rabbits from both the control and experimental models in all three groups. CONCLUSION: There was no statistical difference to justify the use of Gelfoam® surrounding cartilage graft for nasal dorsum reconstruction. © 2014 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.