Objective To review the outcomes of rhinoplasty in patients who underwent full-length dorsal reconstruction.
Design Retrospective review.
Setting Private-practice facial plastic surgery clinic.
Patients Thirty-seven patients in a consecutive series of 1273 rhinoplasty cases.
Interventions In all patients, a single high-density porous polyethylene implant was used to span the full length of the nasal bridge as part of their rhinoplasty reconstruction.
Main Outcome Measures Retrospective review of medical charts and preoperative and postoperative photographs to identify any complications, including infection, extrusion, movement, or displacement, and examination of the aesthetic outcome. A telephone survey was performed to assess patient satisfaction regarding the appearance and sensation of the nose.
Results In all cases, the full-length dorsal implant provided a smooth bridge contour without leaving an inverted V deformity or focal irregularities. There were no cases of infection or extrusion. In 2 cases, revision surgery was required to enhance cosmetic outcome.
Conclusions The high rate of patient acceptance, safety, and success of full-length dorsal reconstruction in providing a natural frontal contour challenges the minimal indications for using this type of reconstruction as opposed to using smaller grafts. As with all alloplasts, long-term follow-up is required.
