Surgical Correction of Unilateral Nasal Bony Deformity Using Nasal Septum Cartilage Following Treatment for Naso-orbitalethmoid Fractures: A Case Report

Naso-orbital-ethmoid （NOE） fracture is relatively common in midfacial regions, but management remains challenging. Here we report a novel technique using nasal septal cartilage to correct para-nasal soft tissue asymmetry in a 17-year-old Japanese male 6 months after surgical treatment of fractures in the NOE complex. An otorhinolaryngologist harvested the septal cartilage during nasal septoplasty to correct a deviated septum that was planned to coincide with removal of the plates 6 months after the primary surgery. The maxillofacial surgeons then grafted the septal cartilage into the concave area in the right para-nasal region and fixed it with a bioresorbable screw after removal of the right plate via a transconjunctival approach. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was satisfied with the cosmetic outcome after 9 months postoperatively. Septal cartilage could be an effective grafting material for correction of postoperative midfacial concave deformity following repair of an NOE fracture.