Usefulness of Autologous Cartilage and Fibrin Glue for the Prevention of Septal Perforation during Septal Surgery: A Preliminary Report

Lee, Jae Yong; Lee, Seung Won; Lee, Jong Dae; Lee, Yong Man; Shin, Jae Min; Lee, Jung Yeol

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Septal surgery is one of the common causes of nasal septal perforation. In cases of bilateral septal mucosal tearings, autologous cartilage is usually inserted between the injured mucosa. Additionally, we applied the fibrin glue on the margin of injured mucosal surface for the fixation of inserted cartilage and for the promotion of mucosal regeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of this method in the prevention of nasal septal perforation.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
A total 378 cases of septal surgery was performed during past 2 years. Bilateral septal mucosal injuries at the corresponding area occurred in 32 patients. In group 1 (23 patients), autologous cartilage was inserted between the injured mucosa. In group 2 (9 patients), autologous cartilage was inserted and fibrin glue was applied on the mucosal margin of cartilage insertion site. We compared the perforation rate between two groups.
RESULTS
In group 1, nasal septal perforation occurred 8 of 23 patients (34.7%) and in group 2, 1 of the 9 patients (11.1%) had perforation. Although the occurrence rate of perforation was significantly lower in group 2, statistical significance between two groups were absent because of the small number of patients who experienced the septal perforation.
CONCLUSION
The application of fibrin glue after cartilage insertion at the defect site is thought to be very useful in the prevention of nasal septal perforation. We report these results as a preliminary data for the future study about the usefulness of fibrin glue in the prevention of nasal septal perforation.