The use of collagen-coated polypropylene meshes for nasal reconstructive surgery

Abstract

Reconstructive surgery of the abdominal and thoracic wall frequently utilizes various materials in order to repair large defects. Polypropylene meshes are an example. In nasal reconstructive surgery they are rarely used for cartilage restoration. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the utility of the collagen-coated polypropylene meshes in nasal reconstructive surgery, as they are easy-to-use materials, with reduced incidence of foreign body reactions and with a very small price compared with other compounds. We conducted a literature review on the usage of the collagen-coated polypropylene meshes which also includes a comparison with other types of materials applied for nasal cartilage reconstruction. Moreover, we performed a retrospec - tive study, on the patients hospitalized in the Plastic Surgery Department of the Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bucharest. The best option and in the same time the gold standard for nasal cartilage reconstruction is considered to be autologous cartilage transplantation. In our clinic we observed good results when autologous septalor auricular cartilage grafts were used. Polypropylene is seldom used in nasal reconstructive surgery, having been conducted so far, a limited number of studies related to benefits and disadvantages of this type of material in the accomplishment of the medical devices used as a nasal implant. Polypropylene meshes are largely used in abdominal wall reconstruction and in the surgery for pelvic organ prolapse. In this surgical field, collagen-coated polypropylene meshes are also used, but future studies will demonstrate if they are effective enough in the nasal reconstructive surgery as well.