Botulinum toxin-induced blepharoptosis: Anatomy, etiology, prevention, and therapeutic options.

BACKGROUND: Botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) has grown tremendously in aesthetic dermatology since 2002 when the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved its use for treating moderate-to-severe glabellar lines. Blepharoptosis, due to local spread of toxin, is a reported side effect of BoNT-A which, although rare, more frequently occurs among inexperienced practitioners. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this review is to highlight the causes and management of eyelid ptosis secondary to BoNT-A administration including new anatomic pathways for BoNT-A spread from the brow area to the levator palpebrae superioris muscle. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using electronic databases (PubMed, Science Direct, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, EBSCO) regarding eyelid anatomy and the underlying pathogenesis, presentation, prevention, and treatment of eyelid ptosis secondary to BoNT-A. Anatomic dissection has been performed to assess the role of neurovascular pedicles and supraorbital foramen anatomic variations. RESULTS: Blepharoptosis occurs due to weakness of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle. Mean onset is 3-14 days after injection and eventually self-resolves after the paralytic effect of BoNT-A wanes. Administration of medications, such as oxymetazoline hydrochloride or apraclonidine hydrochloride eye drops, anticholinesterase agents, or transdermal BoNT-A injections to the pre-tarsal orbicularis, can at least partially reverse eyelid ptosis. Anatomic study shows that a supraorbital foramen may be present in some patients and constitutes a shortcut from the brow area directly into the orbital roof, following the supraorbital neurovascular pedicle. CONCLUSION: Providers should understand the anatomy and be aware of the causes and treatment for blepharoptosis when injecting BoNT-A for the reduction of facial wrinkles. Thorough anatomic knowledge of the supraorbital area and orbital roof is paramount to preventing incorrect injection into "danger zones," which increase the risk of eyelid ptosis.

Dorsal Preservation: The Push Down Technique Reassessed.

Management of the nasal dorsum remains a challenge in rhinoplasty surgery. Currently, the majority of reduction rhinoplasties results in destruction of the keystone area (K-area), which requires reconstruction with either spreader grafts or spreader flaps, both for aesthetic and functional reasons. This article will present the senior author's current operative technique for dorsal preservation in reduction rhinoplasty based on 320 clinical cases performed over a 5-year period. The author's operative technique is as follows: (1) endonasal approach; (2) removal of a septal strip in the subdorsal area whose shape and height were determined preoperatively; (3) complete lateral, transverse, and radix osteotomies; and (4) dorsal reduction utilizing either a push down operation (PDO) or a let down operation (LDO). The PDO consists of downward impaction of the fully mobilized nasal pyramid and is utilized in patients with smaller humps (Less than 4 mm). The LDO consists of a maxillary wedge resection and is performed in patients who need more than 4 mm of lowering. A total of 320 patients had a dorsal preservation operation (DPO). Postoperatively, there were no dorsal irregularities nor inverted-V deformities. Among our 44 personal revision cases, 27 patients (8.74%) had had a previous DPO, 16 of whom required tip revisions with no further dorsal surgery. Of the remaining 11 patients, the main problems were either hump recurrence and/or lateral deviation of the dorsum or widening of the middle third, which required simple surgical revision. Based on the authors' experience, adoption of a PDO/LDO is justified in selected primary patients. The key question before any primary rhinoplasty procedure should be "Can I keep the nasal dorsum intact?" Precise analysis and surgical execution are required to preserve the dorsal osseocartilaginous vault and K-area. Dorsal preservation results in more natural postoperative dorsum lines and a "not operated" aspect without the need for midvault reconstruction. Moreover, this technique is quick and easy to perform by any rhinoplasty surgeon. Rhinoplasty surgeons should consider incorporating dorsal preservation techniques in their surgical armamentarium rather than relying solely on the Joseph reduction method or an open structure rhinoplasty.

Nasal arterial vasculature: medical and surgical applications.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the nasal superficial arterial vasculature and to compare these anatomic findings with the results of ultrasonography Doppler investigations to evaluate nasal blood flow in physiological and pathologic conditions. METHODS: We performed 40 ultrasonography Doppler investigations in patient volunteers, 20 facial anatomic dissections in fresh cadavers, and a review of the literature on nasal blood supply. In cadavers, facial arteries were dissected to analyze nasal arterial supply. RESULTS: When the facial artery, the ophthalmic artery, or both were compressed on 1 side in volunteers, blood flow inversion was proved by ultrasonography Doppler investigation at the level of the nasal area. These results confirm anatomic findings that demonstrate a polygonal system. CONCLUSIONS: A schema of nasal blood supply as a polygonal system connecting the external and internal carotid systems is proposed. This facilitates our understanding of anatomic variations, physiological and pathologic modifications of blood flow, and nasal reconstructions with local flaps and medical rhinoplasties using filler injections.

An anatomical study of the nasal superficial musculoaponeurotic system: surgical applications in rhinoplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To give a unifying description of nasal muscles and ligaments corresponding to anatomical and surgical findings such as the dermocartilaginous ligament described by Pintanguy in 2001. METHODS: In 30 fresh cadavers of white individuals, nasal dissections were performed, divided into 3 different approaches: from radix to nasal tip, from nasal tip to radix, and from midline to lateral. The anatomical and surgical planes of dissection were followed to isolate the nasal superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS). Correlations between the nasal SMAS and the nasal framework were noticed. In 9 specimens, the left nasal wall was resected for histologic examination. RESULTS: The nasal SMAS consists of a unique layer, and it divides at the level of the nasal valve into deep and superficial layers. Each layer has medial and lateral components. The dermocartilaginous ligament corresponds to the deep medial expansion. Both the deep and the superficial medial expansions correspond to the lowering ligaments of the nasal tip; the cephalic rotation of the nasal tip is allowed by their cut. The histological examination showed that the deep lateral expansion is composed of fat. CONCLUSIONS: This description of the nasal SMAS explains the relationship between the nasal muscles and ligaments, including the dermocartilaginous ligament described by Pitanguy. Furthermore, it is helpful to surgeons during rhinoplasty.