Abstract: Objective To compare histological changes of diced costal cartilage autografts in the subcutaneous tissue of dorsum nasi in different time periods. Methods Fifteen New Zealand white rabbits aged 3 months were used for the study. The costal cartilage was finely diced into 1.0 mm×1.5 mm×1.5 mm cubes and placed in the subcutaneous tissue of dorsum nasi respectively. Five of the rabbits were respectively killed in the 2nd,4th and 6th month during post-operative period. The histological section of each specimen was prepared with hematoxylin-eosin and Masson trichrome staining and used to evaluate chondrocyte viability and the degree of ossification. Results There was not clear absorption of the diced costal cartilage grafts. Diced costal cartilage grafts were wrapped in the peripheral connective tissue. They integrated into a whole. The mean percentage of nucleated chondrocytes in the 2nd, 4th and 6th month during post-operative period accounted for 48.16, 50.41, 43.38 percent respectively of the total cartilage, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05). The mean percentages of subchondral ossifying tissue in the 2nd, 4th and 6th month were 32.72, 45.10, 48.94 percent, respectively, and the differences were statistically not significant(P>0.05). The mean visual assessment score concerning the metachromatism of cartilage matrix were 1.29,2.22 and 2.65 during these three stages, respectively, and the differences were statistically not significant(P>0.05). Conclusion Diced costal cartilage autografts can be wrapped in the peripheral connective tissue well and form a unified whole. It is relatively stable about the chondrocyte viability and the status of bone metaplasia in the diced costal cartilage grafts. There’s no obvious absorption

Key words: costal cartilage, nasal deformity, graft, rabbits