Waste not, want not: the use of AlloDerm in secondary rhinoplasty.
BACKGROUND
This article describes the author's successful experience with AlloDerm onlay grafts for the correction of nasal contour deformities in secondary rhinoplasty. AlloDerm is a cadaver dermal filler graft, an off-the-shelf product that is readily available, pliable, and affordable. It is particularly suited for secondary rhinoplasty patients who are graft-depleted. The maximum dorsal augmentation is less than or equal to 3 mm; it is not a support graft. The major indication in this study was dorsal augmentation in the overresected secondary rhinoplasty patient to create a soft, smooth bridge and pleasing dorsal aesthetic lines.


METHODS
Twenty-five secondary rhinoplasty patients underwent multiple nasal corrections and were followed for 2 to 8 years.


RESULTS
Analysis demonstrated no contour changes between year 1 and year 2, showing the dermal grafts to be stable after 1 year. Long-term follow-up for 2 years or longer showed good results, although partial graft resorption (defined to be < or = 50 percent) occurred in 45 percent of patients. Resorption was most common over the bony dorsum, with approximately 20 to 30 percent of the graft absorbing; over the tip, approximately 10 to 15 percent of the graft absorbed.


CONCLUSIONS
Absorption did not seem to relate to the number of layers used. AlloDerm does not shift. Overall, the experience for nasal augmentation in secondary rhinoplasty was encouraging. Partial absorption, especially over the bony dorsum in a thin-skinned patient, is a definite disadvantage. Complete absorption was not seen in this study. The author has discovered that it is imperative to overcorrect the defect intraoperatively. Regrafting is possible and sometimes necessary.
Gryskiewicz
Joe M
JM
University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, School of Dentistry, Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Clinics, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55435-4538, USA. grysk001@umn.edu
D000328:Adult; D003094:Collagen / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012086:Reoperation; D012225:Rhinoplasty; D017768:Skin, Artificial
C440568:Alloderm; D003094:Collagen