Versatility of diced cartilage-fascia grafts in dorsal nasal augmentation.

BACKGROUND: Augmentation of the nasal dorsum using autologous cartilage remains an exacting task in rhinoplasty. Precise, long-term control over graft contour and alignment can be difficult to achieve. In an attempt to alleviate these problems, the use of diced cartilage wrapped in a supportive sleeve has recently seen a resurgence of interest. The Turkish delight technique uses Surgicel as the sleeve material, whereas Daniel and Calvert have proposed autologous fascia.

METHODS: The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and reliability of diced cartilage-fascia grafts in the treatment of dorsal nasal volume deficiencies.

RESULTS: Over a 2-year period, 20 adult patients underwent nasal augmentation using diced cartilage-fascia grafts. The indications for dorsal grafting were congenital saddling, racial refinement, or iatrogenic or posttraumatic deformities. Apart from one infection, all of the hybrid grafts retained their original volume and had not undergone resorption by a mean time of 16 months postoperatively. A critical analysis of the radix-dorsum aesthetics led to a minor modification of the original technique.

CONCLUSION: This series supports the use of diced cartilage-fascia grafts for the correction of difficult dorsal nasal defects with grafting in the 3- to 5-mm range in primary and secondary rhinoplasty.