Rhinosurgery in children: developmental and surgical aspects of the growing nose.

The anatomy of the nasal skeleton in newborns and adults are not alike. The complete cartilaginous framework of the neonatal nose becomes partly and gradually ossified during the years of growth and is more vulnerable to trauma in that period. Injury in early youth may have large consequences for development and may result in a nasal deformity which will increase during growth and reach its peak during and after the adolescent growth spurt.

Rhinosurgery in children: basic concepts.

In newborns, the main supporting structure of the nose is the dorsoseptal cartilage, a T-bar-formed complex of septum and upper lateral cartilages, which is essentially an external extension of the cartilage of the anterior cranial base. Later the anatomic situation gradually changes -- a potential pitfall for surgeons and radiologists. The vulnerability of various processes underlying postnatal development of the facial skeleton is discussed.

Intrinsic and extrinsic forces determine the distortion of the split cricoid ring.

Objective: An anterior cricoid split (ACS) causes an immediate distortion of the cricoid cartilage resulting in an anterior gap due to retraction of the cut ends. The objective of this animal study is to investigate: (1) to what extent the distortion after ACS is influenced by non-cartilaginous structures like tunica elastica, membranes, ligaments and muscles, which are connected to the cricoid; (2) how distortion is changing with further development; (3) in what way the distortion is affected by scoring of the internal surface of the cricoid; and (4) whether an immediate or late injury-induced distortion is related to age.

Methods: Surgical interventions were performed in 20 young (8 weeks of age, 1300-1600 g) and 5 adult (28 weeks of age, 3500-4000 g) New Zealand White rabbits.

Controlling incision-induced distortion of nasal septal cartilage: a model to predict the effect of scoring of rabbit septa.

Cartilage can be shaped by scoring. In an exploratory study in living adult animals, this phenomenon was demonstrated in cartilage of the nasal septum. Bending was observed immediately after superficial scoring of the cartilage surface, and the cartilage always warped in the direction away from the scored side.

Surgery of the lateral nasal wall and ethmoid: effects on sinonasal growth: an experimental study in rabbits.

Objective: To assess the impact of lateral nasal wall surgery on sinonasal growth

Methods: Twenty young New Zealand White rabbits, 6 weeks of age, were included in this experimental study. Surgery was performed on two groups of ten animals each (series I and II). Entrance to the left nasal cavity is achieved through the nasal dorsum via mobilization and rotation of the left nasal bone.

The dual role of perichondrium in cartilage wound healing.

Cartilage structures from the head and neck possess a certain but limited capacity to heal after injury. This capacity is accredited to the perichondrium. In this study, the role of the inner (cambium) and the outer (fibrous) layers of the perichondrium in cartilage wound healing in vitro is investigated.

Growth factors in cartilage tissue engineering.

Tissue engineering of cartilage consists of two steps. Firstly, the cells from a small biopsy of patient's own tissue have to be multiplied. During this multiplication process they lose their cartilage phenotype.

Alginate as a chondrocyte-delivery substance in combination with a non-woven scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering.

For tissue engineering of cartilage, chondrocytes can be seeded in a scaffold and stimulated to produce a cartilage-like matrix. In the present study, we investigated the effect of alginate as a chondrocyte-delivery substance for the construction of cartilage grafts. E210 (a non-woven fleece of polyglactin) was used as a scaffold.