The 'butterfly' graft in functional secondary rhinoplasty.
OBJECTIVE
To describe a surgical technique (the conchal cartilage "butterfly" graft) which, when used in properly selected patients, has been found to be a dependable method for alleviation of postrhinoplasty internal nasal valve dysfunction.


METHODS
Retrospective chart review.


METHODS
Analysis of consecutive patients with weakness and/or collapse of the upper lateral cartilages following rhinoplasty. Seventy-two patients (37 women and 35 men, age range 17-76 y) had severe nasal obstruction and were found to have indications for this procedure. All patients had undergone at least one rhinoplastic procedure. All patients were followed for a minimum of 2 years after surgery.


RESULTS
All 72 patients experienced significant subjective improvement in relative nasal obstruction. Two patients (3%) reported less than total resolution of their difficulty breathing through their nose; the remaining 70 patients (97%) reported complete resolution of their nasal airway problems. No patients reported their postoperative nasal obstruction as the same or worse than their preoperative baseline. Sixty-two patients (86%) reported improvement in the appearance of their nose, 8 patients (11%) felt that their appearance was unchanged, and 2 patients (3%) felt that the appearance of their nose was made worse by the procedure.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients presenting with nasal obstruction after rhinoplasty are frequently found to have collapse and/or weakening of their upper lateral cartilages with resulting nasal valve dysfunction. The conchal cartilage "butterfly" graft is a technique which, when properly performed during revision rhinoplasty, yields predictable functional and cosmetic results with minimal morbidity.
Clark
J Madison
JM
Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425-0550, USA. clarkm@musc.edu
Cook
Ted A
TA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002356:Cartilage / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012225:Rhinoplasty / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome