Anatomy and Surgical Approaches to the Rabbit Nasal Septum

Abstract

IMPORTANCE The rabbit is the primary animal model used to investigate aspects of nasal surgery. Although several studies have used this model, none has provided a comprehensive analysis of the surgical anatomy and techniques used to gain access to the rabbit nasal fossae and septum. OBJECTIVE To describe and optimize the surgical anatomy and approach to the rabbit nasal vault and septal cartilage. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ex vivo animal study conducted at an academic medical center, preliminary cadaveric dissections were performed on rabbit head specimens to establish familiarity with relevant anatomy and rehearse various approaches. Live Pasteurella-free New Zealand white rabbits (3.5-4.0 kg) were used to further develop this surgical technique developed here. Access of the nasal vault was gained through a midline nasal dorsum incision and creation of an osteoplastic flap with a drill. Submucosal resection was performed with preservation of the mucoperichondrium. All rabbits were monitored daily for 4 weeks in the postoperative period for signs of infection, pain, and complications. The study was conducted from June 1, 2014, to December 1, 2014. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Surgical anatomy and techniques used to gain access to the rabbit nasal vault and harvest septal cartilage. RESULTS Four Pasteurella-free New Zealand white rabbits (Western Organ Rabbit Co), ranging in age from 9 to 12 months and weighing between 3.5 and 4.0 kg, were used in this study. Initial dissections demonstrated the feasibility of harvesting septal cartilage while preserving the mucoperichondrial envelope. Access to the nasal vault through this 3-osteotomy approach allowed for maximal exposure to the nasal cavity bilaterally while maintaining the integrity of the mucoperichondrium following septal cartilage harvest. The maximum amount of bulk, en bloc, cartilage harvested was 1.0 × 2.5 cm. Following surgical dissection, all animals maintained adequate airway patency and support to midface structures. Furthermore, all specimens preserved the integrity of the mucoperichondrium, septum, vascular anatomy, and airway dynamics. No operative complications, postoperative airway compromise, or infections were observed. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Access to the rabbit nasal vault and septal cartilage is feasible through a variety of surgical approaches and techniques. To date, this is the first study to meticulously document and review the surgical approaches to the rabbit nasal cavity. This approach describes a novel, 3-osteotomy method of accessing the nasal cavity bilaterally and successfully harvesting rabbit septal cartilage in a submucoperichondrial plane. The ability to preserve native anatomy and function allows for improved outcomes in translational and animal guided clinical research. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE NA.

Toward tissue-engineering of nasal cartilages

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“…Several animal models are used in rhinoplasty and nose cartilage tissue-engineering studies. Rabbit models are frequently used due to their affordability and availability, and surgical procedures for rabbits are well-defined [123,124]. However, leporine nasal cartilage is significantly less cellular and has different shapes and thicknesses than human cartilage [125].…”

“…Rabbit nasal septal cartilage is also completely covered by nasal bones which must be removed for. The presence of these large nasal bones renders surgery time-consuming and labor-intensive [123].…”

Use of an instrumented hammer as a decision support system during rhinoplasty: validation on an animal model

“…The animal model used in this study was the New Zealand White rabbit since it is widely used to model rhinoplasty (Badran et al 2017) as well as osteotomies (Stein et al 1990;€ O greden et al 2018). Seven rabbit heads were collected from the National Veterinary School of Alfort (Maisons-Alfort, France).…”

Establishment and Initial Testing of a Medium-Sized, Surgically Feasible Animal Model for Brucellar Spondylodiscitis: A Preliminary Study

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