The Level Of Type Ⅱ Collagen And Elastin In Cartilage Of The Residual Ear Of Microtia Patients And The Change Of Biomechanic Properties Of The Cartilage.

Objective To investigate the pathology of the congenitial microtia and the relationship with biomechanic properties of the cartilage through examination the expression of type II collagen and elastin in the cartilage of the residual ear of microtia patients and the change of biomechanic properties of the cartilage.Methods 24 cartilages specimen from microtia patient's residual ears and 12 specimen from 12 normal ears of the same age were divided into 4 groups and sectioned. Sections were stained with dual fiber staining for identifying the collagen fiber and elastic fiber. The expression of type II collagen and elastin were assessed by ABC immunohistochemical stains and in situ hybridization and analyzed by Image-pro plus 5.0 software to obtain average integrated optical density (AIOD) and postive unit (PU). Some biomechanic properties of cartilages including maximum resistance to stretch, stress-strain relation, stress relaxation were investigated.Results The dual fiber staining suggested that it's looser and more irregular in the microtia group than in normal group.The...