Novel Method of Cartilage Harvest in Otology with Micro Dermatome: A Descriptive Study

Cartilage is used in middle ear surgery for reconstruction of tympanic membrane, ossicular chain, posterior canal wall and lateral attic wall. When used in tympanic membrane reconstruction, thickness of the cartilage is thought to interfere with the sound conduction. In our otology practice for tympanic membrane reconstruction, we prefer the sliced cartilage graft to achieve acoustic benefit. We have used a microdermatome for precise reduction of the thickness of the cartilage. This also allows us to select exact thickness of cartilage slice and also permits slicing from donor site directly. To describe the use of novel method of cartilage slicing using a micro dermatome and to report our preliminary experience. This is a descriptive study, with a total number of 350 cartilage grafts used in tympanoplasty and mastoidectomies have been prepared with micro dermatome from 2019 to 2021. Our study reports the technique of slicing the Conchal cartilage and how its uniform measurement can be obtained. Our modified technique using the micro dermatome is easy to master, provides precise cartilage thickness as per needs within a short span of time. Harvesting from the donor site is as per the graft requirement and rest of the cartilage is left in place for the future revision surgery if needed. The cartilage obtained were structurally integral without any undue breakage and functionally stable. The thickness of the cartilages obtained makes it pliable for easy handling and placement in ear surgeries.