Age and gender related changes in biomechanical properties of healthy human costal cartilage

作者：Guo, Bi-yun; Liao, Dong-hua; Li, Xiao-yang; Zeng, Yan-jun^*; Yang, Qing-hua

来源：Clinical Biomechanics, 2007, 22(3): 292-297.

DOI：10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2006.10.004

• costal cartilage
• biomechanical properties
• age
• gender

Background and aims. For repairing the ear malformation, it is recommended in China to use the over than 10-years-old rib cartilage. However, according to our clinical experience, a better post-operation effect can be found using about the 7-years-old cartilage for the operation. To shape a harvested costal cartilage and to perform it on the transplant site depend on the mechanical properties of the costal cartilage. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate the age and gender-related biomechanical properties of the human costal cartilage.
Methods. Human costal cartilages were harvested from 25 female and 45 male donors of 5-25 years old after auricular reconstructive surgery. The specimens were divided into six groups: children (5-10 years), adolescent (11-17 years) and adult (18-25 years), respectively, in males and females. Tensile strength, stress-strain relationship, stress relaxation and creep were tested by using a material testing machine.
Findings. The biomechanical properties of costal cartilage are donor age and gender related. The children group has the highest tensile strengths (P < 0.01) in both male and female groups. The male group relaxed and crept more than that of the female group in all three age groups (P < 0.01).
Interpretation. These findings provide a further support for the potential age acting on the human costal cartilage. The adolescent has the lowest strength, this could be a reason that compared to using the children costal cartilage, the bigger distortion happened after using the adolescent costal cartilage in the auricular reconstruction operation.

• 出版日期2007-3
• 单位北京工业大学; 中国医学科学院整形外科医院; 中国医学科学院北京协和医院