[Histomorphology and resorption of longtime-implanted cartilage chips conserved in merthiolat in rhinoplasty (author's transl)].

A histological study is presented on 18 cartilage grafts, conserved in Merthiolat TM, which had been implanted for reconstruction of the caudal border of the nose for time periods of 1 month up to 11 years. These cartilage graft preparations were compared to non graft cartilage from patients died in an age of 37, 51 and 53 years respectively. Our findings show that cartilage grafts are eroded from the edge by resorption granulations of the host. Besides resorption one case showed purulent chondritis and another one osteoneogenesis. The extent of the erosion and the resorption rate seem to depend strongly on the original quality of the cartilage graft. This is possibly due to degenerative focuses which could be found in all of the natural cartilage preparations. After our opinion these focuses regarded like "loci minoris resistentiae". Therefore cartilage material to be used for rhinoplasty ought to be checked for such degenerative focuses.