title: Surgical alar base management with a personal technique: the tightening alar base suture.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the aesthetic result in the nasal base, when sutured using a personal technique, in patients undergoing bimaxillary surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of 60 cases in which the alar base suture was used during bimaxillary surgery with an average maxillary advancement of 3.5 mm. The patients were measured on cutaneous points and on side view with cephalometric soft-tissue measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The technique of cross-suturing the alar base provided good control on the involuntary movements of the alars that result from maxillary advancement. The frontal view of the patient before and after surgery revealed that good tightening of the nasal base was obtained despite the upper jaw movements. Long-term results appear to be stable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This personal technique of nasal alar suturing during bimaxillary surgery appears to be effective in avoiding unaesthetic deformities of the nasal base as well as providing good facial harmony.
authors.affiliation: Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery Section, Department of Morphological-Biomedical Sciences, University of Verona, Policlininico G. B. Rossi piazzale L. Scuro 37134, Verona, Italy. dario.bertossi@univr.it
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bertossi
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albanese
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Malchiodi
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Procacci
authors.forename: Pier Francesco
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Nocini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019767:Maxillofacial Abnormalities / Q000601:surgery*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D013536:Suture Techniques