The Relationship between the Variable Measurements of Nose and the Amount of Harvested Septal Cartilage

ABSTRACT

The nose is the most 3-dimensional structure located on the central area of the face. Rhinoplasty using autogenous tissues and alloplastic materials has been performed for augmentation of nasal tip and dorsum in Asia. For batten graft, spreader graft, columellar strut and/or tip plasty, autogenous tissue especially nasal septal cartilage is very useful. Sometimes surgeon is faced to the situation when usable septal cartilage is too small so other tissues or materials are needed during the operation. The purpose of this study is that we should predict the amount of obtainable septal cartilage by variant measurements of the nose and investigated relationship each other. From December 2002 to February 2004, on the 31 cases that operated rhinoplasty using septal cartilage, we took variable measurements such as nasal length, tip width, nasal basal width, nasal height, columellar width and length of nostril long axis preoperatively. Then we investigated the relationship with amount of actual harvested septal cartilage. As a result, the nasal length was the most correlated with cartilage amount statistically and tip and base width were correlated as well. In this study we concluded that nasal length was the most indicating parameter to predict amount of septal cartilage.