Refinements of the application of paramedian forehead flap in nasal defects repair in Asian patients

Nasal Reconstruction Using Rib Grafting with Cold Light Source Technology

BACKGROUND

Although costal cartilage is a reliable source of cartilage for rhinoplasty and provides a strong scaffold for total nasal reconstruction, traditional collection techniques may cause complications at the donor site. In this paper, we report a simple and safe technique for harvesting full-length costal cartilage and its application in total nasal reconstruction.

METHODS

From May 2018 to December 2020, 24 patients with nasal defects, including 16 females and eight males, received nasal reconstruction in the Rhinoplasty and Repair Center of the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Clinical outcomes were evaluated during the postoperative stay at the hospital and at the 6-30-month follow-up.

RESULTS

The operative time of cartilage harvesting ranged from 30 to 60 min. The patients could walk freely one day after surgery. The average ± standard deviation of Visual Analog Scale scores for pain at the harvested site were 2.583 ± 0.717 (at rest) and 4.750 ± 0.794 (during coughing) 6 h after surgery. We observed no complications (e.g., pleural perforation, pneumothorax, or massive bleeding) due to rib grafts in any patients. During the 6-30 months of follow-up, all patients had complete healing of both donor and recipient sites. The surgical results were rated as satisfactory or good by the patients and surgeons.

CONCLUSIONS

This new cold light source-assisted costal cartilage harvest technique allows full-length costal cartilage to be obtained for total nasal reconstruction, with minimal donor site complications, short operation time, fast postoperative recovery, and high satisfaction among patients and surgeons.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Upper Margin of the Forehead Flap and Its Correlation With Aesthetic Results in Nasal Reconstruction in Fitzpatrick Skin Type III and IV Chinese

BACKGROUND

The forehead flap is one of the most commonly used methods for nose reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the ideal upper margin of the flap in nasal reconstruction and its correlation with aesthetic results.

METHODS

From April 2013 to September 2017, 40 patients underwent nasal reconstruction involving the dorsum with a forehead flap. The authors hypothesized 5fdifferent levels as the position to place the upper margin of the forehead flap: (1) glabella, (2) level of the upper eyelid, (3) intercanthal line, (4) horizontal line between the keystone and intercanthal line, and (5) the keystone. Then they photoshopped the upper margins of the forehead flap at 5 different levels and designed a questionnaire. Nasal reconstructive plastic surgeons, medical practitioners, and people without medical backgrounds chose the most aesthetically pleasing photograph for every patient.

RESULTS

The questionnaire showed that the most aesthetically pleasing positions were located at glabella (n = 0), level of upper eyelid (n = 9), intercanthal line (n = 24), the line between keystone and intercanthal line (n = 6), and keystone (n = 1).

CONCLUSION

The authors suggest placing the upper margin of the forehead flap at the level of the intercanthal line in nasal reconstruction involving the dorsum to achieve the best aesthetic results.