{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T15:27:23Z","timestamp":1786116443175,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785888000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J. Clin. Med.","JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Columellar strut grafting is a widely adopted technique for nasal tip support in rhinoplasty; however, autologous cartilage grafts are associated with well-recognized limitations, including resorption, warping, and donor-site morbidity. Absorbable plates composed of poly-L-lactic acid (PLA) or poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), which have an established role in craniofacial fracture fixation, were investigated as a structural adjunct to auricular cartilage columellar strut grafts. The present study evaluates the safety and clinical outcomes of this technique in a large patient cohort. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 1710 consecutive patients who underwent primary rhinoplasty with absorbable plate-assisted columellar strut grafting between November 2012 and June 2022. A PLA plate (n = 792) or PLGA plate (n = 918) was used in combination with auricular conchal cartilage. Nasal tip projection was assessed using standardized clinical photographs and Ricketts\u2019 E-line analysis at a minimum follow-up of 1 month (range, 1 month to 6 years). Results: Satisfactory nasal tip projection was achieved and sustained throughout the follow-up period in the majority of patients. Transient mild overprojection, attributable to intentional overcorrection, resolved consistently by 6 months postoperatively. Among patients with recorded follow-up, the overall complication rate was 0.35% (6 of 1710 patients): 1 case of minor skin exposure and 1 case requiring revision for the aesthetic desire of further tip elevation (rather than structural projection loss) in the PLA group and 4 cases of mucosal penetration in the PLGA group, all of which occurred during the initial learning phase and resolved without sequelae. No delayed infections were recorded. Conclusions: Absorbable plate-assisted columellar strut grafting using auricular conchal cartilage is a safe, reproducible, and effective technique for achieving stable nasal tip projection. By providing temporary structural support during the critical early healing phase and subsequently undergoing biologic resorption, this approach mitigates the long-term risks associated with permanent implants while avoiding the morbidity of costal cartilage harvest. Despite the limitations of a retrospective design lacking a cartilage-only control group and objective three-dimensional volumetric assessments, it represents a viable and practical alternative for nasal tip support, particularly in East Asian patients with thick skin envelopes and weak cartilaginous frameworks.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15156103","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T16:48:08Z","timestamp":1785948488000},"page":"6103","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Absorbable Plate-Assisted Columellar Strut Graft Using Auricular Cartilage: A Large-Scale Clinical Study of 1710 Cases in Rhinoplasty"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Hyo Heon","family":"Kim","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon 21565, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jae Hoon","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon 21565, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1089\/fpsam.2019.29006.tor","article-title":"Nasal tip contouring: Anatomic basis for management","volume":"22","author":"Toriumi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Facial Plast. 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Neck Surg."}],"container-title":["Journal of Clinical Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/15\/15\/6103\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,6]],"date-time":"2026-08-06T10:15:28Z","timestamp":1786011328000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/15\/15\/6103"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]]},"references-count":18,"journal-issue":{"issue":"15","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}},"alternative-id":["jcm15156103"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcm15156103","relation":{},"ISSN":["2077-0383"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2077-0383","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]]}}}