Role of 3-dimensional CT angiography for vascular assessment.

size because the swine rib cartilage was not wide enough. Instead, we could obtain 10 20 2-mm-sized blocks from swine scapular cartilage. The aim of this article was to report the precise technical details to obtain a desired size and thickness cartilage model from swine scapular cartilage. Swine scapular cartilage was obtained from a slaughterhouse (Fig. 1). The thickness was 3 to 6 mm, and the size varied depending on the animal’s weight. The harvested cartilage was gripped in a heavy-duty workshop vise (Moon Star Co, Seoul, Korea; Fig. 2). Two parallel blades (Ultra Cutter Blade; Peace Korea Ltd, Incheon, Korea) set at the desired gap (adjusted with a wooden spatula of 2 or 3 mm) were gripped with 2 Long Nose Locking Pliers (IRWIN Tools, Huntersville, NC; Fig. 3). The parallel blades were passed through the cartilage fixed with vise, and the cartilage was formed at the desired thickness. Finally, the margins were trimmed (Fig. 4). An author described the scapulohumeral articulation of domesticated mammals, and he stated the scapula and humerus was separated by four-tenths to eight-tenths of an inch because the aponeurotic expansion was very thin and loose. Through his description, we could know that swine scapular cartilage could be thick at up to eight-tenths of an inch. In fact, we usually could get cartilage thicker than 5 mm. Weinfeld introduced chicken sternal cartilage for simulated septal cartilage graft carving. He stated that the mean cartilage height, length, and thickness they measured were 2.36 cm, 6.13 cm, and 3.4 mm, respectively. However, it is thought that the thickness of the avian sternal cartilage is not even. Hence, it is difficult to get a desired size of even thickness. Compared with the chicken sternal cartilage, swine scapular cartilage is larger and thicker. Therefore, it is easier to get a model of nasal septal cartilage or auricular cartilage. The swine scapular cartilage model might provide increased practice opportunities for handling nasal septal cartilage or auricular cartilage.