ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the application and effectiveness of thin-ribbed cartilage with the perichondrium in the correction of secondary cleft lip nasal deformity as the lateral crural onlay graft. Methods: A retrospective study was performed based on the data of 28 patients with secondary nasal deformity of cleft lip between October 2015 and April 2017. There were 16 males and 12 females with an average age of 24 years (range, 18-31 years). There were 11 cases with secondary nasal deformities on the left side, 13 cases on the right side, and 4 cases on both sides. Three-dimensional stereotaxy of the nasolabial muscles was used to correct the deformity. The costal cartilage as the support was used to perform nasal columella and nasal dorsum while the thin-ribbed cartilage with the perichondrium was used as wing cartilage support. The photography of nasal position was taken before operation and at 6-8 months after operation. The midpoint of the junction between the nasal columella and the upper lip was marked point O; the lateral horizontal line passing through the point O was marked as X-line, and the longitudinal line (the midline) as Y-line. The distance of the highest point of the affected nostril to the X-line, the distance of the nostril's outermost point to the Y-line, the symmetries of both the most lateral and the highest point of the bilateral nostrils, and the distance of the highest point of the nasal tip to the X-line were measured. Results: All incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 6 to 24 months with an average of 12 months. The size and shape of the noses were stable, and no compli cation, such as cartilage exposure, hematoma, or infection occurred during the postoperative follow-up. There were 4 cases with obvious incision scars, 3 cases with nostril and alar asymmetry, and 1 case of lateral side of the nose without well positioned. The symmetry of the highest points of bilateral nostrils was 57.643%±27.491% before operation and 90.246%±18.769% after operation. The symmetry of the most lateral points of the bilateral nostrils was 77.391%±30.628% before operation and 92.373%±21.662% after operation. And there were significant differences between pre- and post-operation ( P<0.05). There were also significant differences in the distance of highest point of the affected nostril to the X-line, the distance of the nostril's outermost point to the Y-line, and the distance of the highest point of the nasal tip to the X-line ( P<0.05). No thoracic contour change occurred at the costal cartilage donor site. Conclusion: The thin-ribbed cartilage with the perichondrium has good support and long-term stability, and it can be used as one of the ideal materials for nasal alar cartilage transplantation for nasal deformity secondary to cleft lip.
ABSTRACT
The characteristics of the cleft lip nasal deformity is defined in this article in three planes. The alar flaring is explained in X axis, the lower positioning of the alar free margin is imagined in Y axis and the short hemicolumella is in Z axis. Most cleft surgeons have focused on the malposition of the lateral crus of alar cartilage while the author defined it in X and Y axises and tried to correct that deformity of short hemicolumella in Z axis. For the last 13 years the author applied that method in 818 cases of secondary cleft lip nose deformity. Through the columellar splitting incision extended to free margin of the alar not beyond the nasal dorsum, the skin and soft tissue of the webbing deformed the nasal tip was excised in crescent fashion. The dissected short hemicolumella including the medial crus was thus elevated and advanced into the space of the deformed nasal tip after the crescent excision. This procedure should be followed by the correction of the deformities in X and Y axis. The medial crus elevation is more effective and critical way to have the constant and nice outcome than the lateral crus reposition in secondary cleft lip nasal deformity.