Pulsed electromechanical reshaping of nasal septal cartilage: shape change and viability

Cartilage provides critical structural support for the upper airway and facial framework, and its reshaping is central to reconstructive and aesthetic procedures in the head and neck. While a range of non-scalpel techniques have been explored as minimally invasive approaches to modifying cartilage shape, achieving deformation without compromising tissue integrity remains a challenge. Electromechanical reshaping (EMR) offers a promising, minimally invasive approach to cartilage modification but is similarly limited by tissue injury that compromises cellular viability. This study investigates a pulsed EMR strategy designed to address these limitations and evaluates its feasibility using optical imaging in ex vivo rabbit septal cartilage.