Warping Characteristics of Rib Allograft Cartilage

Summary: When septal cartilage is lacking, commercially available costal cartilage allograft can be used. Such allografts have "off-the-shelf" accessibility, are available in multiple sizes, are aseptically processed to meet sterility, and are screened to minimize infectious risks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of donor age, storage temperature, and orientation of a bilayered construct on the degree of warping of a commercialized fresh frozen costal cartilage allograft in vitro over time. A total of 140 fresh frozen costal cartilage cadaveric specimens were separated into three donor age groups. These were allocated into three harvesting subgroups: Group a, single pieces (cephalocaudal segments); group b, two laminated pieces of the same rib sutured together in anatomical position (laminated group); and group c, two pieces from the same rib reversed onto each other and sutured together (oppositional group). Photographs were examined and analyzed to determine the degree of cartilaginous warping. Decreased rates of warping were seen in commercially available, aseptically processed costal cartilage allografts procured from older cadavers. Warping was also decreased when oppositional suturing techniques were used as a way to address those intrinsic cartilage forces.