Evolution of the Septal Extension Graft in Endonasal Rhinoplasty: Long-term Efficacy and Reliability.

BACKGROUND: Proper nasal tip projection and rotation have a strong impact on nasal aesthetics. Septal extension graft (SEG) is one of the tools employed to improve tip projection and rotation when performing rhinoplasty. This graft typically overlaps the existing caudal septum in the midline position, lengthening it and facilitating the repositioning of the tip. OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to describe the technical evolution of the SEG in endonasal rhinoplasty and evaluate the reliability and long-term efficacy of the current technique. METHODS: The authors evaluated presurgical and postsurgical photographs of the nasolabial angle and nasal proportions in 60 patients who underwent endonasal rhinoplasty with SEG. RESULTS: The study demonstrated a clear improvement in tip projection and rotation at the 1-year follow-up. The mean preoperative nasolabial angle was 93.75°â€…±â€…9.45° compared with 101.1°â€…±â€…5.3° following surgery. Although both were normally distributed, the range of the postoperative nasolabial angle was narrower than 1-year preoperatively (standard deviation = 5.3° vs 9.45°, respectively). The Crumley ratio, utilized to describe nasal proportions, presented significant changes in nasal proportions: 3.84 preoperatively and 4.04 postoperatively (95% confidence interval = -0.24 to -0.149; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The utilization of SEG in endonasal rhinoplasty has significantly changed since first described in 2006. The adaptations made to this technique render it more reliable, and our study demonstrates its efficacy in improving tip projection and rotation over the long-term.

Safety of Premedication with Oral Midazolam before Rhinoplasty as Indicated by Intraoperative Levels of Blood Oxygen Saturation.

BACKGROUND: The use of oral midazolam as premedication to induce anxiolysis before surgical procedures under local anesthesia is widely accepted in plastic surgery. Rhinoplasty performed under local anesthesia is known to generate high levels of perioperative anxiety, thus the use of appropriate premedication is important. Oral midazolam has been shown to be safe in various procedures. However, the safety of oral midazolam before rhinoplasty has not been evaluated. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety of premedication with oral midazolam prior to rhinoplasty by analyzing the intraoperative blood oxygen saturation levels as predictors of adverse respiratory events. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the anesthesia records of 62 patients who underwent rhinoplasty under local anesthesia and received premedication with oral midazolam for anxiolysis between March 2017 and December 2017. The median age of the patients was 25.4 years, and they were all classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists class 1. The patients received 10 mg midazolam hydrochloride orally 1 hour prior to the procedure. Oxygen blood saturation was monitored using a pulse oximeter and recorded every 15 minutes. RESULTS: All the patients maintained blood oxygen saturation levels above 95% (median peripheral capillary oxygen saturation 99%) on room air, and they did not require supplemental intraoperative oxygen. There were no transient hypoxemic events during and following the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed the safety of oral midazolam premedication to reduce perioperative anxiety when performing rhinoplasty under local anesthesia.

Interdomal Suture through a Nondelivery Endonasal Approach: A New Technique.

BACKGROUND: The use of interdomal sutures for tip refinement is common in open rhinoplasty and in endonasal rhinoplasty using a delivery technique, but there is paucity of reports in the literature regarding the use of interdomal suturing techniques when the nondelivery endonasal approach is chosen. OBJECTIVE: The authors describe a technique designed to refine the nasal tip with an interdomal suture placed through a nondelivery endonasal approach. METHODS: In this study, the authors retrospectively review the cases of 45 patients who underwent endonasal rhinoplasty with the authors' interdomal suturing technique between the years 2011 and 2013. The average age of the patients was 25.3 years. Intercrural sutures (PDS 4.0 straight needle, Cincinnati, Ohio) were placed as mattress-like suture in the tip region, with the knot buried between both alar cartilages. The suture is tightened progressively according to the tip definition and narrowing sought. RESULTS: The patients were followed for 12 months. All of the patients demonstrated a significant reduction in lobule and tip widths. This series had only 1 complication of tip asymmetry that was revised 1 year after the initial operation. There were no cases of infection, allergic reaction, or extrusion of the suture. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the lack of a large volume of patients, our study confirms that this technique is indeed an attractive and highly predictable option for achieving adequate tip refinement and definition when using a nondelivery endonasal rhinoplasty.

Dorsal augmentation with diced cartilage enclosed with temporal fascia in secondary endonasal rhinoplasty.

BACKGROUND: Placement of diced cartilage enclosed within an autologous fascia sleeve (DC-F) for nasal dorsum reconstruction is common in open rhinoplasty, but there are no data regarding its use in closed rhinoplasty (the endonasal approach). OBJECTIVES: The authors describe a technique for augmenting the nasal dorsum in secondary rhinoplasty with DC-F grafts via an endonasal approach. METHODS: In this study, the authors retrospectively review the cases of 18 patients who underwent closed rhinoplasty with the authors' technique between 2008 and 2011. Cartilage harvested from the septum, rib, or concha was diced into 0.5- to 1-mm cubes. A rectangle of deep temporal fascia (approximately 5 × 5 cm) was harvested by means of a single V-shaped incision overlying the temporal fossa, then wrapped around another 1-mL syringe and secured. The fascial cylinder was filled with the desired amount of diced cartilage and then sutured closed at both ends. This graft was placed into the dorsum of the nose via the endonasal approach. RESULTS: Average age of the patients was 32 years. The patients were followed for a minimum of 15 months. Donor site for cartilage harvest was conchal in 8 patients, septal and conchal in 6 cases, and costal in 4. Complications were encountered in 3 patients, only 1 of whom required surgical revision for contour irregularity. No resorption of cartilage was encountered in any patient after 15 months. Smooth continuity of the nasal dorsum was achieved in all our patients. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the lack of a large volume of patients for overwhelming and conclusive results, our study provides further confirmation that this technique is indeed an attractive option for nasal dorsum reconstruction.

Management of severe tip ptosis in closed rhinoplasty: the horizontal columellar strut.

BACKGROUND: Tip ptosis is a relatively common nasal deformity, with an incidence as high as 72% in rhinoplasty patients. Different techniques were described for surgical correction of the droopy tip, such as the lateral crural steel, the lateral crural overlay, the tongue-in-groove technique and others. Most authors agreed that an external rhinoplasty approach is necessary for effectively conducting the alar cartilage-modifying techniques mentioned above. METHODS: In this article we challenge this paradigm and introduce an efficient method for aesthetic correction of severe tip ptosis through an internal rhinoplasty approach. Twenty-three patients with severe ptosis of the nasal tip were operated on by the senior author (MH) between 2000 and 2005 using the described technique. After carrying out the necessary manoeuvres to achieve the desired tip rotation (reduction of cephalic border of alar cartilages, modification of the caudal septum, reduction of upper lateral cartilages), the desired tip position was maintained with the horizontal columellar strut, whose initial operative description appears here. RESULTS: The desired rotation and projection were maintained in all but three patients over the first year after the surgery. In three patients we observed some loss of tip projection after 1 year. We did not witness complications directly related to the horizontal columellar strut. CONCLUSION: The horizontal columellar strut is an efficient tool for stabilising the corrected position of a severely ptotic nasal tip. We recommend adding the horizontal columellar strut to the array of available rhinoplasty techniques.