Comparison of the Mechanical Properties of Nasal Cartilage Preserved in Ethanol at 4°C versus Normal Saline at -18°C for Rhinoplasty Reuse

Atighechi, Saeid; Jabinian, Fatemeh; Momenramazani, Zahra; Hasani, Saeed; Vaziribozorg, Sedighe

doi:10.22038/ijorl.2026.92496.4079

Comparison of the Mechanical Properties of Nasal Cartilage Preserved in Ethanol at 4°C versus Normal Saline at -18°C for Rhinoplasty Reuse

Document Type : Original

Authors

Saeid Atighechi ¹

Fatemeh Jabinian ²

Zahra Momenramazani ³

Saeed Hasani ⁴

Sedighe Vaziribozorg ¹

¹ Otorhinolaryngology Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.

² Department of Operating Room and Anesthesiology, School of Allied medical Sciences, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.

³ Master of Science in Operating Room, Trauma Nursing Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.

⁴ Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran.

10.22038/ijorl.2026.92496.4079

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to compare the mechanical properties of nasal cartilage preserved in ethanol at 4 °C versus normal saline at -18 °C, with the goal of assessing their suitability for reuse in subsequent nasal surgeries.

Methods: Twenty nasal septal cartilage samples from patients who had undergone rhinoplasty were preserved for two months using two different methods. Ten cartilages were stored in alcohol at 4 °C, while the remaining ten were stored in normal saline at -18 °C. Additionally, a control group consisting of ten fresh cartilage samples was included for comparison. The mechanical properties (namely Young's modulus, fracture stress, yield stress, ductility, and tensile strength) were measured using a universal tensile testing machine STM-20 and analyzed to evaluate the effects of the preservation methods.

Results: Significant differences were observed between the groups in mean tensile strength, ductility, Young's modulus, and yield stress (P

Keywords

Nasal cartilage

Rhinoplasty

Secondary rhinoplasty

Mechanical properties

Subjects