Short-Term Viability and Extracellular Matrix Integrity of Autologous Septal Cartilage Stored At -40°C Without a Preservative.

[BACKGROUND] Preservation of septal cartilage harvested during primary septoplasty can reduce the need for secondary donor sites in future revision rhinoplasty. However, the optimal storage conditions for maintaining tissue viability and extracellular matrix (ECM) integrity remain unclear.

[OBJECTIVES] To evaluate the histological structure and chondrocyte viability of autologous septal cartilage stored at -40 °C without a preservation solution for 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months.

[METHODS] This prospective study, conducted between May 2024 and May 2025, included septal cartilage samples from 40 patients who underwent primary septoplasty. Specimens were randomly assigned to four groups without the use of any preservation solution: fresh control, and storage at -40 °C for 1 week, 1 month, or 3 months. All samples were analyzed histopathologically in a blinded manner for chondrocyte viability, peripheral proliferation, stromal degradation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) integrity.

[RESULTS] The mean chondrocyte viability rate progressively decreased from 95% in the fresh group to 89%, 85%, and 81% in the 1-week, 1-month, and 3-month groups, respectively (p < 0.001). Prolonged storage correlated with increased stromal loss, vascularization, inflammation, ossification, and calcification (p < 0.05), while fibrosis and peripheral chondrocyte proliferation did not differ significantly.

[CONCLUSIONS] Short-term storage of autologous septal cartilage at -40 °C without a preservative maintains substantial histological and cellular integrity. Nonetheless, longer storage durations lead to gradual ECM degradation and decreased chondrocyte viability. These findings highlight the importance of optimizing storage duration to preserve the structural and functional reliability of cartilage grafts in revision septorhinoplasty.