Is Early Nasal Shaping With a Limited Alar Base Incision Possible in the Repair of Cleft Lips?

The repair of cleft lips has an important place in plastic and reconstructive surgery. In the treatment of these deformities, the aim was to restore the normal lip morphology in the cleft area as well as repairing any coexisting nasal deformities. Various methods are in use for this purpose. One of the most commonly employed surgical methods is Millard repair. However, this method may lead to additional scarring in the alar base on the cleft side subsequent to the incision. In this study, the results obtained from a group who have been applied alar base incisions during the modified Millard repair are compared to a group who have undergone intranasal wide dissections.The patients enrolled in the study were randomized into 2 groups. The first group were applied the modified Millard repair. In the second group, the rotation, advancement, and C-flaps were prepared according to Millard surgical repair technique; however, instead of an alar base and nasofacial groove incision on the cleft side, a nasal and maxillary supraperiosteal wide dissection was made through the incision in the mucosa of the nostril.The intranasal dissection performed during the study was observed to provide the targeted outcome and a more satisfactory cosmetic result through the modified Millard repair. In conclusion, the authors are of the opinion that the limited alar base incision and the wide supraperiosteal dissection performed in patients with cleft lips is an alternative method that can be employed in a wide range of patients.

Long-term effect of radiofrequency turbinoplasty in nasal obstruction.

The aim of this retrospective study is to investigate long term (two years) effect of radiofrequency tissue volume reduction (RFVTR) on nasal obstruction associated with inferior turbinate hypertrophy, which is not respond to medical treatment. This retrospective study carried out on 98 patients with nasal obstruction treated by RFVTR (56 males, 42 females, from 17 to 70 years of age). Visual analogue scales (VAS) and nasal endoscopic view score (NES) were used for nasal obstruction to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment. Results of one, three, six, twelve and twenty four months after RFVTR treatment were compared with pre-exposure values. Turbinate edema and nasal obstruction in the treated patients were recovered after one month of treatment (p < 0.01). Maximum improvement were determined at the end of third month (p < 0.01). However, eficacy of RFVTR declined twelve months after treatment. Final percentage of imrovement was found as 51 % at the end of second year of treatment because of co-factors was not eliminated by some patients. On the other hand, no statistical significant difference was observed between the right and left nasal cavity (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the result of this study indicated that patients who have not eliminate co-factors such as smoking, obesity and allergic rhinitis may need re-application of RFTVR. However, further studies on radiofrequecy energy level and elimination of other co-factors are necessary to illuminate the eficacy of RFVTR.