Our surgical understanding and preference for an implant design suggests that location of the implant in the retromuscular plane gives an aesthetically better looking clinical result, there is less rippling when the chest wall is vertical, and the implant flattens when the patient is lying supine. An implant with a textured posterior wall and smooth anterior wall assists adherence of the implant at the desired level. It also induces a pseudo-bursa over its anterior surface which, being larger than the implant surface, allows it to flatten naturally when the patient is lying or raising the arm. A gel-filled implant gives the most natural quality to an implant and the contents displace less readily and therefore do not tend to cause rippling.

Breast Implants↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Donor site morbidity post-conchal cartilage grafting.

Morbidity of the conchal cartilage donor site is evaluated in this article. Forty-two patients (from 1984-1994) with 44 donor sites were reviewed retrospectively. In 27 cases an anterior approach was used and in 17 cases a posterior approach was used. Four complications were observed: two cases of delayed healing in the post auricular approach, one case of flattening of the ear after an anterior approach, and one case with an anterior hypertrophic scar was seen. Only one case needed further surgical intervention. The anterior approach is technically easy, safe, and quick to perform but should be avoided in patients with a history or genetic predisposition to keloid or hypertrophic scars.

Ear, External↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Technique for harvesting of conchal cartilage grafts.

Conchal cartilage is an important source of cartilage for the rhinoplasty surgeon [Falces E, Gorney M: Plast Reconstr Surg 50:147, 1972; Hage J: Brit J Plast Surg 18:92, 1965; Juri J et al: Plast Reconstr Surg 63:377, 1979]. We describe a technique to harvest conchal cartilage which minimizes morbidity for the patient and produces an excellent scar.

Ear Cartilage↗