Horizontal advancement flap for lateral dorsal nasal defects.
BACKGROUND
Repairing dorsal nasal defects is a frequent challenge for dermatologic surgeons, mainly due to the high frequency of basal cell carcinomas on this site. Obvious scars, mismatched skin and distortion of the nasal contour are the surgical hazards that must be avoided in these cases.


OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to perform surgery involving a simple flap in order to repair medium to large defects on the dorsal side of the nose.


METHODS
The dorsal horizontal advancement flap was studied in 12 patients, in order to evaluate the benefits and limits of this surgical procedure.


RESULTS
The resulting scars on most of our patients were well-camouflaged among their natural skin lines, and there was neither distortion of the alar contour nor the nostril.


CONCLUSIONS
This flap is easy to perform and, in selected cases, provides an outstanding alternative to second-intention healing, full-thickness skin grafts, transposition, rotation and pedicle flaps.
Ascari-Raccagni
A
A
Giovan Battista Morgagni General Hospital, Department of Dermatology, Forlì, Italy. ascrac@libero.it
Righini
M G
MG