Video 3.23: Ultradiced Cartilage – Why the Graft Stays Compact After Injection

What this video shows

Video 3.23 demonstrates one of the properties that distinguishes ultradiced cartilage from free diced cartilage: when it is ejected from the injector it stays compact and does not fall apart. The book explains this with Coulomb's law, according to which sufficiently small particles attach to each other by electrostatic force and stand together.

This cohesion is what allows the graft to be placed precisely under the skin without dispersing, and it is the reason ultradiced cartilage showed better results than free diced cartilage with regard to graft visibility and resorption in the author's comparative study of 217 patients.

Key points

• The graft keeps its shape when taken out of the injector.

• Cohesion explained by electrostatic attraction between very small particles.

• Clinical advantage: less visibility and resorption compared with free diced cartilage.

In the book: Chapter 3 – Dorsum Surgery, section 3.5.1 Ultradiced Cartilage Method, pp. 66–68 of Rhinoplasty in Practice: An Algorithmic Approach to Modern Surgical Techniques (CRC Press, 2021). About the book and all companion videos.

Related publication record: Ultra Diced Cartilage Graft in Rhinoplasty: A Fine Tool.

Surgeon: Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas, plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon, Istanbul. This video is part of the surgeon-training material of the book; patients considering rhinoplasty in Istanbul can use it to understand the techniques used at Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas Clinic.