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Background: Costal cartilage grafts are used more frequently in secondary rhinoplasty. However, these procedures result in patients that require further revision operations that are not trivial. The purpose of this study was to assess the outcomes of reconstructive rhinoplasty performed on patients with a history of prior secondary or tertiary rhinoplasty using autogenous costal cartilage grafts., Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of tertiary rhinoplasty procedures. Outcomes of interest included the indications for the revision operation; revision rate following the tertiary costal cartilage revision; whether or not the use of costal cartilage grafts for the reconstructive rhinoplasty was a planned event; and perioperative incidents such as infection, structural collapse, and scarring requiring further surgery., Results: Forty-six patients met inclusionary criteria. The revision rate following tertiary rhinoplasty performed by the primary author was found to be 24 percent (11 of 46). The reasons for these revision operations were nasal airway obstruction (n = 6), aesthetic dissatisfaction (n = 4), and infection (n = 1). Outcomes of the revisions were satisfactory, with no adverse complications requiring further surgery., Conclusions: Reconstructive rhinoplasty may be required in patients who have undergone previous costal cartilage grafting for secondary rhinoplasty. These revision operations can be performed successfully to help patients achieve both improved function and aesthetic results but have a higher than usual revision rate themselves. The revisions of these operations can be managed with standard revision operations that result in satisfactory outcomes., Clinical Question/level of Evidence: Therapeutic, IV.

Background: Closed reduction and splinting are generally recommended in the acute management of nasal fractures. Although open reduction is recommended for more severe nasal fractures, immediate functional and cosmetic open rhinoplasty following nasal fractures has not been described for Asian noses., Objectives: The authors document their experiences with combining open reduction of acute nasal fractures with simultaneous cosmetic correction of preexisting aesthetic concerns in an Asian population., Methods: Twenty-five Asian patients underwent primary functional and cosmetic open rhinoplasty immediately following acute nasal fracture. Grafts consisted of autologous material, including septum, concha, rib, and deep temporal fascia. Prior to opening the nose, anatomical reduction of the bony vault fractures was performed. Spreader grafts were used to stabilize the fractured or dislocated dorsal septum as well as to straighten the nose. Aesthetic refinement of the nose included lengthening, refining the tip, and increasing tip projection and was performed according to the patients' aesthetic desires. Patient satisfaction was subjectively reported on a 1 to 10 scale., Results: Mean follow-up was 17 months (range, 10-24 months). Twenty-three patients rated the results of their procedures as 7 or higher. Functionally, all patients were breathing as well or better postoperatively compared with their preinjury functional state. One patient (4%) underwent a secondary filler procedure for a slight dorsal irregularity., Conclusions: Immediate cosmetic and functional open rhinoplasty is safe, predictable, and effective in Asian patients., Level of Evidence: 4.

Surface aesthetics of the attractive nose are created by certain lines, shadows, and highlights, with specific proportions and breakpoints. Our evaluation of the nasal surface aesthetics is achieved using the concept of geometric polygons as aesthetic subunits, both to define the existing deformity and the aesthetic goals. Surgical techniques have been developed and modified to achieve the desired surface appearance, and those are detailed in this article. The principles of geometric polygons allow the surgeon to analyze the deformities of the nose, to define an operative plan to achieve specific goals, and to select the appropriate operative technique. These aesthetic concepts and surgical techniques were used in 257 consecutive rhinoplasties performed in the past 3 years by the principal author (B.Ç.).

Any discussion of grafting the dorsum in secondary rhinoplasty must take into account the different indications (aesthetic, augmentation, and structure) as well as recent changes in materials and techniques (fascia, diced cartilage). We have placed solid dorsal grafts with diced cartilage grafts either as an isolated diced cartilage graft in fascia graft or as the aesthetic dorsal contour layer of a composite reconstruction. The rational for this profound change in selection and indication of dorsal grafts for revising the overresected dorsum will become clear as the various alternative materials and techniques are analyzed. Currently, we only employ autogenous tissues., (Copyright © 2012 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.)

Background: The author has used diced cartilage grafts in nasal surgery for more than 30 years. However, the number of cases and the variety of techniques have increased dramatically over the past 6 years., Methods: The author uses three methods of diced cartilage in rhinoplasty surgery: diced cartilage, diced cartilage wrapped in fascia (with fascia then sewn closed), and diced cartilage covered with fascia (with the recipient area covered with fascia after graft placement). The constructs are highly varied to fit the specific defect. Pieces of diced cartilage without any fascia can be placed in pockets in the peripyriform area, radix, or alongside structural rib grafts., Results: Over a 2-year period, the author treated 546 rhinoplasty cases in which 79 patients (14 percent) had a total of 91 diced cartilage grafts. There were 34 primary and 45 secondary operations involving the radix (n = 11), half-length grafts (n = 14), full-length dorsum (n = 43), peripyriform (n = 16), infralobule (n = 4), and lateral wall (n = 3). All charts were reviewed for the 256 rhinoplasties performed in 2006 of which 30 patients had 35 diced cartilage grafts. With a median follow-up of 19 months (range, 13 to 25 months), two patients had had revisions unrelated to their diced cartilage grafts. The three most common technical problems were overcorrection, visibility, and junctional step-offs., Conclusions: Diced cartilage grafts are a valuable addition to rhinoplasty surgery. They are highly flexible and useful throughout the nose. Their use simplifies one of the greatest challenges in all of rhinoplasty--dorsal augmentation. Complications have been relatively minor and their correction relatively simple.

Background: Grafting the radix and dorsum of the nose has been controversial and the plastic surgery community has recently revisited diced cartilage grafts. Previous articles by the authors reported clinical failures of diced cartilage-Surgicel-wrapped grafts and the successful implementation of diced cartilage-fascia-wrapped grafts for rhinoplasty procedures. This article investigates four means of radix and dorsum augmentation, including banked and fresh septum., Methods: Twenty-seven human specimens were taken from rhinoplasty patients: six failed diced cartilage-Surgicel-wrapped grafts, eight diced cartilage-fascia-wrapped grafts, and 13 specimens of fresh cartilage or previously placed cartilage grafts. All were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome, safranin-O, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and Evans' van Gieson stains and analyzed for chondrocyte viability, matrix proteins, and regenerative potential of the cartilage., Results: The diced cartilage-Surgicel-wrapped grafts showed disorganized fibrosis, loss of nuclei in chondrocyte lacunae, and negative glial fibrillary acidic protein staining. All specimens contained remnants of Surgicel and evidence of foreign body reaction. The diced cartilage-fascia-wrapped grafts showed normal histologic characteristics, healthy cartilage pieces with viable chondrocytes in their lacunae, positive glial fibrillary acidic protein staining, and organized capsule of fibrosis surrounding the cartilage pieces. The fascia was viable and showed an organized architecture distinctly different from the disorganized scar tissue of the diced cartilage-Surgicel-wrapped grafts., Conclusions: Given the histologic findings, diced cartilage-Surgicel-wrapped grafts absorbed due to foreign body reaction. Diced cartilage-fascia wrapped grafts survived and demonstrated normal cartilage viability. According to the clinical performance and analysis of these grafts, diced cartilage-fascia is the most reliable way to augment the nasal dorsum and radix with autologous diced cartilage.

The use of diced cartilage grafts in rhinoplasty surgery was recently revived by Erol with the publication of his technique for "Turkish delight" grafts (i.e., diced cartilage grafts wrapped in Surgicel). The present study details the authors' experience with 50 consecutive diced cartilage grafts used in three configurations during a prospective study of 50 primary and secondary aesthetic rhinoplasty procedures performed by the senior author (Daniel). Part I consists of 22 diced cartilage grafts wrapped in Surgicel and placed in the radix (n = 14), radix/upper dorsum (n = 4), and full-length dorsum (n = 4). All grafts were performed adhering meticulously to Erol's technique without modification. This portion of the study was halted abruptly at 4 months because of the unexpected absorption and clinical failure of all diced cartilage grafts wrapped in Surgicel. Subsequently, five patients had revision surgery, and biopsy specimens were taken at the prior grafting site and analyzed histologically. After this clinical failure, part II of the study began, consisting of 20 patients who had diced cartilage grafts wrapped in fascia. The range of applications was comparable: radix (n = 12), radix/dorsum (n = 3), and full-length dorsum (n = 5). Because of our prior practice of overcorrecting by 20 percent with diced cartilage grafts wrapped in Surgicel, we had excessive amounts of material in six of our initial diced cartilage wrapped in fascia radix grafts, but no subsequent grafts. The overcorrections were easily reduced at 6 weeks to 11 months postoperatively using a pituitary rongeur under local anesthesia, and the material was sent for histologic analysis. Minimum 1-year follow-up of all 20 cases has shown maintenance of the grafts without evidence of absorption. Part III of this study comprised eight patients who had diced cartilage grafts without a fascial covering placed throughout the nose, including on the sides of osseocartilaginous rib grafts to the dorsum. At 14 months, there was no evidence that any of these grafts had been absorbed. Histologic analysis of the biopsy specimens from the diced cartilage grafts wrapped in Surgicel showed evidence of fibrosis and lymphocytic infiltrates with small amounts of Surgicel visible on birefringent microscopy. Remnants of cartilage were present but were metabolically inactive on the basis of negative glial fibrillary acidic protein staining. Control specimens of fresh septal cartilage and banked septal cartilage were remarkably similar to each other and demonstrated normal cartilage architecture and cellular activity. The diced cartilage grafts wrapped in fascia showed coalescence of the diced cartilage into a single cartilage mass, with viable cartilage cells and normal metabolic activity on the basis of glial fibrillary acidic protein staining. All of the diced cartilage grafts wrapped in Surgicel absorbed and failed to correct the clinical problem for which they were performed. All of the diced cartilage grafts wrapped in fascia and pure diced cartilage grafts did correct the clinical deformities and appear to have survived completely. The diced cartilage grafts wrapped in fascia placed along the dorsum were distinctly palpable throughout the postoperative period, as was one prior case with a 6-year follow-up. The authors' clinical experience confirms the experimental studies of Yilmaz et al. that question the use of Surgicel for wrapping diced cartilage grafts in clinical rhinoplasty surgery.

A flexible operative technique for utilizing rib grafts in difficult rhinoplasty and nasal reconstruction cases requiring support is presented. An osseocartilaginous rib segment is used for dorsal contour or support, while a rigid cartilaginous strut provides for both tip projection and columellar contour. The bone is contoured extensively, while the cartilage is altered minimally. An open approach is employed. A bony fixation platform is established by radix reduction followed by bony fixation with ultramicroscrews. Distally, the grafts are united when nasal lengthening or total support is required; otherwise, the grafts are juxtaposed to allow lateral movement. The operative technique and technical difficulties are described in detail based on experience in 14 patients.