title: The quantification of surgical changes in nasal tip support.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To quantify the changes in the strength of nasal tip support associated with various surgical modifications and to identify the procedures that best maintain or augment tip support.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case study in 2 phases. Phase 1 included 10 patients undergoing primary rhinoplasty, 5 undergoing secondary rhinoplasty, and 5 control patients. Fresh cadavers were used in phase 2. A purpose-built instrument (Beaty Tensegrometer; G. M. Tooling, Chamblee, Ga) was used to measure nasal tip support before and after surgical modifications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the patients who underwent primary rhinoplasty, there was a 25% decrease in tip support when the ligamentous attachments between the lateral crura were divided. Reconstruction of these attachments increased tip support over baseline by 35%. With a columellar strut and ligament reconstruction, tip support was increased by 44%. In the secondary rhinoplasty group, reconstruction with the dynamic adjustable rotation tip-tensioning technique increased nasal tip support over baseline by 70%. In cadavers, intercartilaginous incisions and delivery of the lower lateral cartilages caused a loss of tip support, while raising the skin-soft tissue envelope with the open technique did not. Extensive resection of the lower lateral cartilages caused a loss of tip support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that nasal tip support can be reliably quantified in a reproducible manner. Use of the open approach, reconstruction of the attachments between the lateral crura, conservative resection of the lower lateral cartilages, and the dynamic adjustable rotation tip-tensioning technique for secondary rhinoplasty best preserve nasal tip support.
authors.affiliation: Milton Hall Plastic Surgery, 2365 Old Milton Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30004, USA. mmbeaty@earthlink.net
authors.forename: Mark M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Beaty
authors.forename: Wallace K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Dyer
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Shawl
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004864:Equipment and Supplies; D006801:Humans; D009666:Nose / Q000601:surgery; D010173:Palpation; D012225:Rhinoplasty / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*