Cadaveric Meniscal Cartilage for Ear Reconstruction

A 73-year-old man with a left-sided superior helical rim defect after basal cell carcinoma resection underwent staged auricular reconstruction using cadaveric lateral meniscal cartilage. Autologous costal cartilage harvest was avoided because of underlying pulmonary disease and elevated operative risk. At reconstruction, the meniscal allograft was shaped using the contralateral ear as a template, inset beneath a postauricular flap, and later elevated with flap division and inset; the postauricular donor site was resurfaced with a split-thickness skin graft from the anterolateral thigh. The patient healed without complications and maintained satisfactory superior helical contour at 12-month follow-up. This case suggests that cadaveric meniscal cartilage may serve as a reasonable alternative structural graft for selected auricular defects when autologous cartilage harvest is undesirable or contraindicated, although further study is needed to define long-term outcomes, including resorption risk.