Cartilage Grafting

Cartilage grafting is a surgical procedure that replaces damaged or misaligned cartilage in the body. Replacement cartilage can come from the patient himself or from a cadaver donor. The replacement cartilage grows into the existing cartilage to correct a number of disorders and injuries.

Septoplasty

• Septoplasties are performed to correct a condition called a deviated septum. The septum is the piece of bone and cartilage that separates the patient's two nostrils. Occasionally, this piece of cartilage can be misaligned, causing breathing difficulties and frequent infections. The cartilage of the septum sometimes has to be replaced during this procedure, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Rhinoplasty

• Another nasal procedure is a rhinoplasty, which is performed on patients with nasal obstructions that are untreatable by medication. The cartilage is removed from the deviated part of the septum and inserted into the nasal passages to widen them and ease breathing, according to the University of Texas Medical Center.

Tympanoplasty

• The inner ear is another area that may undergo cartilage grafting. In 2007, Yamilet Tirado, M.D. of the Baylor College of Medicine described the use of cartilage grafting inside the inner ear of a patient whose Eustacean tubes had repeatedly malfunctioned or slipped out of place.

Osteoarthritis

• Knee arthritis, as explained in a paper published by Ohio State University's Department of Medical Engineering, is a situation in which cartilage grafting can be helpful. The study emphasized the importance of proper depth of the graft.

Future Use

• Dr. Tirado, mentioned above, believes the number cartilage grafting procedures, particularly in the ear, has experienced a surge and will continue to rise.