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A Biomechanical Evaluation of Auricular Cartilage Autografts in Orbital Floor Defect Repair.

Publication ,  Journal Article
O, TM; Richard, MJ; Cullinane, DM; Binetter, DJ; Fay, A; Der Sarkissian, R
Published in: Orbit
June 2015

OBJECTIVE: Auricular cartilage is used as a surgical implant in the management of orbital floor fractures. However, no specific parameters exist regarding the use/limitations of this potential graft. In order to determine the mechanical efficacy of adult auricular cartilage grafts, a mechanical model was developed and studied for structural threshold size limits. METHODS: Thirty-seven cadaveric auricular cartilage specimens were tested in a laboratory. A plexiglass baseplate was created with four different sized holes, defined as 1.0×, 1.2×, 1.4×, and 1.6× the mean minor axis of the specimens. Each specimen was used to bridge one hole under increasing loads until mechanical failure. Structural stiffness at three different loading stages, structural failure strength, and percent failure of the entire system for each defect size was calculated. RESULTS: Specimens tested on 1.0×, 1.2×, 1.4× and 1.6× defects demonstrated 0%, 0%, 20%, and 60% system failure rates, respectively. Structural stiffness curves showed a similar trend, with ANOVA demonstrating a significant difference in mechanical properties between defect sizes (p = 0.03). The curve representing 1.6 × defect size demonstrated significantly reduced structural stiffness relative to 1.0×, 1.2×, and 1.4× curves. There was no statistical difference between 1.2× and 1.4× testing sets (p = 0.09). CONCLUSION: A clinically significant biomechanical and functional threshold exists between 1.2×and 1.4× defect sizes. Given a mean minor axis of 2.06 cm, orbital blow-out defects <2.4 cm (1.2 × 2.06 cm) are suitable for auricular cartilage grafts; fractures >2.4 cm may require a more rigid material. Cartilage grafts that allow failure, however, may better protect the globe in subsequent injury.

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Published In

Orbit

DOI

EISSN

1744-5108

Publication Date

June 2015

Volume

34

Issue

3

Start / End Page

121 / 126

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Transplantation, Autologous
  • Tissue and Organ Harvesting
  • Plastic Surgery Procedures
  • Orbital Fractures
  • Ophthalmology & Optometry
  • Humans
  • Elasticity
  • Ear Cartilage
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Autografts
 

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ICMJE
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O, T. M., Richard, M. J., Cullinane, D. M., Binetter, D. J., Fay, A., & Der Sarkissian, R. (2015). A Biomechanical Evaluation of Auricular Cartilage Autografts in Orbital Floor Defect Repair. Orbit, 34(3), 121–126. https://doi.org/10.3109/01676830.2015.1014504
O, Teresa M., Michael J. Richard, Dennis M. Cullinane, David J. Binetter, Aaron Fay, and Raffi Der Sarkissian. “A Biomechanical Evaluation of Auricular Cartilage Autografts in Orbital Floor Defect Repair.Orbit 34, no. 3 (June 2015): 121–26. https://doi.org/10.3109/01676830.2015.1014504.
O TM, Richard MJ, Cullinane DM, Binetter DJ, Fay A, Der Sarkissian R. A Biomechanical Evaluation of Auricular Cartilage Autografts in Orbital Floor Defect Repair. Orbit. 2015 Jun;34(3):121–6.
O, Teresa M., et al. “A Biomechanical Evaluation of Auricular Cartilage Autografts in Orbital Floor Defect Repair.Orbit, vol. 34, no. 3, June 2015, pp. 121–26. Pubmed, doi:10.3109/01676830.2015.1014504.
O TM, Richard MJ, Cullinane DM, Binetter DJ, Fay A, Der Sarkissian R. A Biomechanical Evaluation of Auricular Cartilage Autografts in Orbital Floor Defect Repair. Orbit. 2015 Jun;34(3):121–126.

Published In

Orbit

DOI

EISSN

1744-5108

Publication Date

June 2015

Volume

34

Issue

3

Start / End Page

121 / 126

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Transplantation, Autologous
  • Tissue and Organ Harvesting
  • Plastic Surgery Procedures
  • Orbital Fractures
  • Ophthalmology & Optometry
  • Humans
  • Elasticity
  • Ear Cartilage
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Autografts