To evaluate morphologic outcomes following mature cleft rhinoplasty using exclusive septum cartilage grafting.
Design
Retrospective, observational study.
Setting
Single institution, 8-year retrospective review.
Patients/Participants
A total of 31 facially mature patients with non-syndromic unilateral cleft lip were included in this study.
Interventions
Patients underwent mature cleft rhinoplasty using septum cartilage as the exclusive graft source.
Main Outcome Measures
Preoperative and postoperative photographs (at least 1 year after surgery) were analyzed using 8 distinct anthropometric parameters to assess for statistical significance in the changes to nasal morphology. Paired-samples t-tests were performed, and statistical significance was defined as P < .05.
Results
The mean changes following mature cleft rhinoplasty were: alar cant 1.96 to 0.95 (P < .001), alar height angle 1.90 to 1.21 (P = .006), nasal tip deviation 2.90 to 1.99 (P < .001), vertical alar height ratio 0.95 to 0.95 (P = .4), nasofacial angle 28.52 to 31.48 (P = .003), nasolabial angle 83.15 to 87.96 (P = .01), columellar angle 9.09 to 3.30 (P < .0001), and nostril height ratio 0.80 to 0.88 (P < .001).
Conclusions
The nasal septum can be considered as a reliable initial choice for cartilage grafts during mature cleft rhinoplasty.
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