Rib grafts are a well known autologous graft in rhinoplasty for significant augmentation. The rib graft can be used as either a solid piece (en bloc) or can be diced into very small cubes and turned into a sausage-like wrap. Both rib graft methods have their advantages but the diced technique effectively eliminates any chance of graft warping, the most common aesthetic complication of onlay rib grafting in the nose.
But the wrap containment method is not the only way to use a rib graft. For smaller dorsal defects diced rib cartilage can be placed through an injection method. If one has enough septal cartilage this can also be used similarly. In this method the diced cartilage is loaded into a 1cc syringe with an open barrel. (this has to be cut that way) This creates a loaded injectable cartilage graft syringe.
The key to using this cartilage grafting method is that it has to be placed through a narrow tunnel to the dorsal defect site. The tunnel serves as the containment method. Once inside the tunnel the graft is injected on withdrawal. It can then be molded into shape although the tunnel itself has already made most of the graft shape. The shape is held by the application of external tapes/splint.
It is easy to see that this is a linear grafting method that works by the alignment of the syringe for graft placement. This makes it best used for dorsal line defects from the radix down to the tip.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana