The long-term effects of open cosmetic septorhinoplasty on nasal air flow.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if elective cosmetic septorhinoplasty impacts on nasal air flow resistance over the long-term. DESIGN: Case series. Mean postoperative follow-up period was 41.5 months (range, 16 to 77 months). PATIENTS: A consecutive sample of 200 patients having undergone cosmetic open septorhinoplasty by one of us (P.A.A.) before July 1992 were contacted by telephone; 50 agreed to participate, and 27 actually participated in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Open cosmetic septorhinoplasty performed by one of us (P.A.A.). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of preoperative and postoperative nasal resistance values by headout body displacement plethysmography; correlation of preoperative and postoperative nasal valve anatomy with nasal resistance values; and correlation of postoperative nasal resistance values with subjective evaluation of nasal air flow as reported on a 10-point analogue scale. RESULTS: Of the 27 patients, 10 had normal preoperative nasal resistance values and 17 had elevated resistance values. Preoperative Normal Group: Four of the 10 patients' mean resistance values exceeded normal limits postoperatively. One of these four patients reported subjective nasal obstruction. Preoperative Abnormal Group: Of the 17 patients, surgery resulted in normal resistance values postoperatively in six, decreased but still above normal resistance values in eight, and no decrease in postoperative resistance values in three. CONCLUSIONS: (1) Patients with normal nasal resistance values may suffer long-term, asymptomatic increase in nasal resistance values after cosmetic open septorhinoplasty, often with no quantifiable change at the nasal valve. (2) Patients with elevated nasal resistance measurements generally improve with open septorhinoplasty. Patients with isolated septal deformities improve with septoplasty. Patients with upper lateral cartilage collapse improve with spreader grafts. The lasting objective improvement on the nasal valve using spreader grafts is reported herein for the first time. (3) Subjective estimations of nasal patency do not correlate well with objective measures of patency, namely nasal resistance measurements. (4) Cosmetic septorhinoplasty can alter nasal patency. Continued care must be exercised when manipulating the nasal framework for cosmetic purposes, as slight changes to the nasal valve may result in significant alterations in nasal air flow resistance.

Vertical dome division in open rhinoplasty. An update on indications, techniques, and results.

OBJECTIVE: A new modification of vertical dome division (VDD) in rhinoplasty using cartilage overlap and suturing to reestablish the integrity of the alar cartilages is analyzed and compared with the more standard technique of cartilage resection and suturing. DESIGN: Retrospective before-and-after trial. SETTING: Private patients of one of the authors (P.A.A.) undergoing surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology of the University of Toronto (Ontario). PATIENTS: A consecutive sample of 116 patients having undergone open rhinoplasty with VDD between 1981 and 1990 were evaluated. Seventy-five had VDD before 1987, when a cartilage resection and suturing technique was used (P.A.A.); 41 had their surgery after 1987, with the cartilage overlap and suturing technique. All patients were available for follow-up. The mean follow-up time was 15.2 months, with a range of 6 to 63 months. INTERVENTION: Indications for VDD were lobule asymmetry (47%), retrodisplacement (24%), wide domal arch (22%), hanging infratip lobule (6%), and rotation (1%). Prior to 1987, VDD was performed by dividing the alar cartilages, resecting certain portions, and then suturing the cartilages together again to recreate the alar margin. After 1987, VDD was revised by overlapping the portions of cartilage that would have been previously resected and suturing the overlapping portions to recreate the alar margin. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient satisfaction; physician evaluation; physical examination; blinded comparison of preoperative and postoperative photographs; need for revision surgery. RESULTS: Overall, six (5.0%) of 116 patients required revision surgery or had photographic and/or physical evidence of nasal tip irregularities. Three (4.0%) of 75 patients from the cartilage excision group and one (2.4%) of 41 patients from the overlap group required revision surgery. The other two patients, one in each group, had minor tip irregularities not requiring surgery. The tip irregularities were due to nasal bossae in four patients and lobule asymmetries in two. There was no alar notching or lower nasal third pinching. Tip irregularities were three times as likely to occur in patients presenting for revision rhinoplasty than in those for primary rhinoplasty. CONCLUSIONS: Vertical dome division is a powerful tool in rhinoplasty, allowing for complex manipulations of alar cartilages to selectively enhance projection, rotation, and domal arch width. It also allows for correction of lobule asymmetries and elongation or hanging of the infratip lobule. The cartilage overlap technique reduces the occurrence of several common postoperative tip abnormalities and lowers the need for revision surgery when compared with cartilage resection VDD. The reported results can only be considered trends, as sample sizes in the series were too small to allow for statistical significance.

Squamous cell carcinoma in older patients without risk factors.

Ten patients over sixty years of age with no history of tobacco or alcohol use were treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract between 1979 and 1991. Nine of these ten patients were women with lesions confined to the oral cavity and oropharynx. Modes of treatment included surgery, radiation, or a combination of surgery and radiation. Followup from 1 to 10 years revealed two deaths from local and distant spread, and eight patients with no evidence of disease. Recurrences after treatment were aggressive and occurred within the same region as the primary lesion. Although most patients with upper aerodigestive squamous cell carcinoma are men with alcohol and/or tobacco exposure, this study demonstrates findings consistent with field cancerization in a group of older women with no risk factors.

Malar, submalar, and midfacial implants.

A resurgence of malar augmentation using alloplastic implants can be attributed to the safety, simplicity of technique, and reliable good results of these implants. As the more sculpted face becomes a common aesthetic goal, malar augmentation plays an increased role in facial plastic surgery practices. It provides a natural, "unoperated" look that is preferred by most patients today. The history of our current aesthetic and how new alloplasts have contributed is reviewed. The development of simpler techniques of malar analysis will also be reviewed. An indepth look at aesthetic analysis, implant choice, surgical approach, postoperative results, and possible complications will provide a thorough review of current malar implantation.