For a healthy breathing and symmetrical nose at the end of surgery, it is crucial that the main skeleton of the nose is healthy and symmetrical.
The main skeleton of the nose consists of bone and cartilage.
In some surgeries, it is impossible to obtain healthy, sufficient, and straight cartilage from inside the nose. In this case, we use another cartilage from our body in nasal surgeries to keep the success rate high and achieve the desired result at the end of the surgery.
If we need flexible cartilage, ear cartilage is used; if we need harder and a larger amount of cartilage, rib (costal) cartilage is used.
The necessity of using a cartilage graft and, if required, which one should be used will be explained to you during the examination.
In some cases, the need to harvest cartilage is certain, while in others it is probable.
However, even in probable cases, consent/permission to harvest cartilage will be obtained from you before surgery. The decision on whether to harvest rib cartilage will be made during the surgery based on the condition (quantity and quality) of cartilage inside the nose.
The need to harvest cartilage from the rib or ear may be necessary not only in revision surgeries but also in patients who have not had previous nasal surgery but have severe nasal fractures, deviations, etc.
Furthermore, in patients with very thick skin, harvesting a cartilage graft may be required to give the desired shape to the nasal tip and to build a strong nasal tip that will support its weight.
Harvesting rib cartilage causes some pain during side-to-side turning movements for the first 2 weeks, but after the second week, it does not place any restriction on your daily life or respiratory functions.
If you have had nasal surgery before, the surgery planned for you is "revision rhinoplasty," and every patient undergoing revision surgery may potentially need rib cartilage (as a possibility).