LATERAL ALAR CAUDAL STRUT GRAFT: EFFICACY OF A NOVEL TECHNIQUE IN TIP PLASTY
1Süreyya Şeneldir Klinik, Kulak Burun Boğaz, İstanbul, Turkey2Bezmialem Vakıf Üniversitesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz, İstanbul, Turkey Objective: An ideally positioned nasal tip is one of the many aspects important for an aesthetically pleasing nose. The stiffness and shape of the lateral crus are primarily responsible for the nasal tip support. In this article, the authors discuss the functional and aesthetic effect of the lateral alar caudal strut graft (LACSG) on the nasal tip.
Material and Methods: Included in the study were 65 patients (41 women, 24 men) undergoing rhinoplasty using LACSG with the senior author as surgeon between 2017 and 2020. The mean age was 27.6 years (range 18-45). The mean postoperative follow-up period was 22.3 months (range 12-36). Patients who completed the 1-year postoperative period completed the rhinoplasty outcome evaluation (ROE) questionnaire. Outcome measures were performed at examinations, and preoperative and postoperative photographs of the patients were analyzed.
Results: In the postoperative follow-up, no revision surgery was required for technique-specific reasons. We achieved the highlight called lateral alar definition in all patients with the LACSG. We saw remarkable functional and aesthetic improvements with this graft in patients with retracted alar rim and weak lateral wall and nasal tip support. According to the ROE questionnaire, 90.7% (59 out of 65) of the patients were content with the aesthetic and functional results.
Conclusion: The LACSG is a new variant graft for tip plasty that helps prevent alar rim retraction, strengthens the lateral nasal wall and the lateral crus, and stabilizes the tip. In addition, this graft strongly supports the lateral alar definition.
Keywords : Lateral crural strut graft, external nasal valve, tip plasty, rhinoplasty