Premium
The ‘Butterfly’ Graft in Functional Secondary Rhinoplasty
Author(s) -
Clark J. Madison,
Cook Ted A.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1097/00005537-200211000-00002
Subject(s) - medicine , rhinoplasty , nose , surgery , septoplasty , airway , airway obstruction , cartilage , anatomy
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 postoperative 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.