The Harvest of a Lateral Segment of Costal Cartilage for Treating Nasal Deformities

Background: Although costal cartilage has many uses and is a reliable source of cartilage for rhinoplasty procedures, donor-site complications may arise with conventional harvesting techniques. The present report reports a novel technique of harvesting costal cartilage using a specially designed scalpel and studies the use of the harvested cartilage in the reconstruction of secondary nasal deformities in patients with cleft lips. Methods: Ten patients (7 females and 3 males) with nasal deformities secondary to cleft lip underwent rhinoplasty using this new technique at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, China, between May 2011 and December 2013. Clinical outcomes were evaluated with a follow-up period of 6 to 30 months. Results: The new technique successfully corrected primary nasal deformities, including flat nasal tip, short columella, flaring alae, and asymmetrical nostrils. Surgeons and patients assessed the outcome to be either good or satisfactory. Patients experienced transient discomfort at the wound site but there were no major complications (such as wound infection, dehiscence, exposure, graft extrusion, and pulmonary involvement). Conclusions: The novel technique can harvest a lateral segment of costal cartilage for use in the reconstruction of nasal deformities secondary to cleft lip in a one-stage procedure, with minimal donor-site morbidity.