Auricular Cartilage Graft, An Alternative for Bony Palatal Defect? A Case Report

A 51 year old male patient reported with a chief complaint of nasal regurgitation of fluids since a period of 1 year. Patient was operated once earlier with soft tissue palatal closure following which there was recurrence of symptoms. In this case, the defect was managed with an auricular cartilage graft followed by palatal mucosal closure. The healing was uneventful till the latest follow-up. Rationale of this case report lies in its approach to manage an oronasal communication which recurred following a soft tissue closure. Various management strategies have been applied in literature which included grafts, alloplastic materials and vascular free tissue transfer. Following informed and written consent, Patient was operated under General Anaesthesia and was observed for a follow-up period of 2 years. There was uneventful healing along with improvement in patient's phonation and diet. Complete resolution of nasal regurgitation was achieved. The auricular cartilage graft used for reconstruction in this case is comparatively less invasive and provides an additional advantage of a double layered closure.