Anatomy and Anthropometry of the Ear

Wes, Ari M.; Taylor, Jesse A.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-16387-7_1

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 13 publications

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“…For in vivo studies, we used the panniculus carnosus, a highly vascularized muscle layer, as an equivalent to the human TPF flap (84). Elastic cartilage of the auricle is surrounded by a dense network of blood vessels providing oxygen and nutrients through diffusion (85). During microtia repair, the fascial flap is commonly used to create a thin, tough, and highly vascular connective layer between the cartilage and skin to provide healthy blood supply to the implanted graft (86)(87)(88).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining bioengineered human skin with bioprinted cartilage for ear reconstruction

Zielinska,

Fisch,

Moehrlen

et al. 2023

Sci. Adv.

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Microtia is a congenital disorder that manifests as a malformation of the external ear leading to psychosocial problems in affected children. Here, we present a tissue-engineered treatment approach based on a bioprinted autologous auricular cartilage construct (EarCartilage) combined with a bioengineered human pigmented and prevascularized dermo-epidermal skin substitute (EarSkin) tested in immunocompromised rats. We confirmed that human-engineered blood capillaries of EarSkin connected to the recipient’s vasculature within 1 week, enabling rapid blood perfusion and epidermal maturation. Bioengineered EarSkin displayed a stratified epidermis containing mature keratinocytes and melanocytes. The latter resided within the basal layer of the epidermis and efficiently restored the skin color. Further, in vivo tests demonstrated favorable mechanical stability of EarCartilage along with enhanced extracellular matrix deposition. In conclusion, EarCartilage combined with EarSkin represents a novel approach for the treatment of microtia with the potential to circumvent existing limitations and improve the aesthetic outcome of microtia reconstruction.

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