A Contemporary and Novel Use of Thyroid Cartilage for Structural Grafting in Esthetic Rhinoplasty: A Case Report.

This case report details a 21-year-old transgender female patient who underwent a concomitant trichophyllic brow lift with frontal bone reduction, tracheal shave (also known as thyroid chondroplasty), and rhinoplasty for facial feminization in conjunction with her transitioning process. During rhinoplasty (similarly to many other procedures), harvesting cartilage for structural grafting is often necessary, and this is typically done from a distant, unrelated surgical site. During this case, cartilage from the thyroid lamina was used in structural grafting in the form of a columellar strut. This case highlights the use of thyroid cartilage in a novel way, as a structural graft in open rhinoplasty (in a transgender patient), and reviews the surgical approach and anatomy for a thyroid chondroplasty.