A Patient With Exposed Costal Cartilage After Microtia Surgery Successfully Treated With Perifascial Areolar Tissue Grafting

Abstract

Postoperative costal cartilage exposure is a troublesome complication following costal cartilage grafting for microtia. The authors report a case of attempted recovery using perifascial areolar tissue (PAT) transplantation that achieved favorable results. The patient was a 13-year-old boy, who developed a 27 × 11 mm2 skin ulcer with a 6 × 3.5 mm2 area of exposed cartilage at the helix 1 month after ear ablation surgery. PAT harvested from above the trapezius muscle was grafted onto the ulcer. The wound was closed 14 days later using a split-thickness skin graft from the head. PAT transplants can be harvested from anywhere in the body, are minimally invasive, and are highly flexible. This case demonstrates that, although factors such as the extent and location of cartilage exposure must be considered, PAT transplants are an option for microtia salvage surgery.