Abstract
Objective: To describe a surgical technique (the conchal cartilage "butterfly" graft) which, when used in properly selected patients, has been found to be a dependable method for alleviation of postrhinoplasty internal nasal valve dysfunction. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Methods: Analysis of consecutive patients with weakness and/or collapse of the upper lateral cartilages following rhinoplasty. Seventy-two patients (37 women and 35 men, age range 17-76 y) had severe nasal obstruction and were found to have indications for this procedure. All patients had undergone at least one rhinoplastic procedure. All patients were followed for a minimum of 2 years after surgery. Results: All 72 patients experienced significant subjective improvement in relative nasal obstruction. Two patients (3%) reported less than total resolution of their difficulty breathing through their nose; the remaining 70 patients (97%) reported complete resolution of their nasal airway problems. No patients reported their post-operative nasal obstruction as the same or worse than their preoperative baseline. Sixty-two patients (86%) reported improvement in the appearance of their nose, 8 patients (11%) felt that their appearance was unchanged, and 2 patients (3%) felt that the appearance of their nose was made worse by the procedure. Conclusions: Patients presenting with nasal obstruction after rhinoplasty are frequently found to have collapse and/or weakening of their upper lateral cartilages with resulting nasal valve dysfunction. The conchal cartilage "butterfly" graft is a technique which, when properly performed during revision rhinoplasty, yields predictable functional and cosmetic results with minimal morbidity.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1917-1925 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Laryngoscope |
Volume | 112 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 1 2002 |
Keywords
- Butterfly graft
- Conchal cartilage graft
- Nasal valve obstruction
- Revision rhinoplasty
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Otorhinolaryngology