Correction of the unilateral cleft lip nose

The cleft lip nasal deformity is best repaired secondarily in teenagers. Some more severe cases may be repaired during childhood. Optimal repair requires adequate exposure, best obtained with transcolumellar flying-bird incisions. The major anatomic defect, the misplaced lateral crus, needs to be advanced to a normal position. The vestibular lining of the lateral crus should remain attached to add circulation and support, especially when scoring of the cartilage is needed. The lateral defect left after advancement of the lateral crus should be closed with sutures. Accessory procedures, including septoplasty, augmentation or reshifting of the alar base attachment, and occasionally, cartilage grafts, are critical to achieving an aesthetic result. Fifty-three patients operated on using the technique described are reviewed.     

Treatment of the unilateral cleft lip nose.

Unilateral nasal shortening is an essential step in both the primary and the secondary treatment of the unilateral cleft lip nose. Procedures for this are described.     

A rotational method of bilateral cleft lip nose repair

Repairs of the bilateral cleft lip nasal deformity have focused on lengthening the lower columella by adding lip, nasal structure, or a piece of ear. In these methods, the raised true columella worsens the dorsal dislocation of the lateral crura of the alar cartilages and the lateral and dorsal displacement of the alar domes. We believe that lengthening the upper columella from above is more anatomic and reasonable than lengthening the lower columella. A method for reconstructing the upper columella by medial and ventral rotation of the dislocated alar domes is described. Figi's "flying bird" incision was extended to the columellar base along the nostril margin. Through this incision, the lower one-third of the nose, including the alae and nostril floors, was undermined widely. The inner layers, the nostrils, were freed from the surrounding tissues, except in the region of the columella and the septum, and rotated medially in the opposite direction of Cronin's technique. The resulting nasal shape, involving the columellar length and the concavity between the nasal tip and lateral ala, improved in 11 patients.     

Anatomy of the nasal cartilages of the unilateral complete cleft lip nose

The purpose of this study was to disclose the relationship between the anomaly of the cartilaginous framework and the nasal deformity of cleft lip. The noses of six stillborn infants with unilateral complete cleft lip were carefully dissected. The size and weight of the lower lateral cartilages were measured to determine whether there was a significant difference between the normal and involved sides. The position of the nasal cartilages was observed, and the distance between them was measured to determine whether they were normal. The surgical dissection revealed that the lower lateral cartilages from both sides were asymmetrical in three dimensions, indicating the displacement of the lower lateral cartilage on the involved side. There was displacement of the cartilaginous septum and the upper lateral cartilage. The statistical evaluation did not demonstrate a significant difference between weight and size of the two sides. One of the major causative factors of nasal deformity is displacement of the nasal cartilages. There is no hypoplasia of nasal cartilage in newborn infants with cleft lip.     

Cartilaginous histology of the cleft lip nose: proving the extrinsic etiology

In an effort to prove the etiology of the cleft lip nasal deformity, 23 patients with unilateral cleft lip underwent biopsy through the midportion of the columella from mucosa to mucosa. This tissue "sandwich" contained an internal control of cleft and noncleft medial crus cartilage. With the use of special stains and examination under the microscope at low, medium, and high powers, sections were evaluated on the basis of presence of abnormal chondrocytes, number of binucleate chondrocytes, number of nucleated chondrocytes, number of lacunae, perichondrial thickness, and cartilage thickness. In each specimen examined, there were no significant differences between cleft and noncleft sides, proving histologically the previous subjective observation that the deformity is extrinsic, due to distortion of the lower lateral cartilage by abnormal vectors of force.     

Primary correction of the unilateral cleft lip nose: a 15-year experience

This paper reviews a 15-year personal experience based on 400 unilateral cleft nasal deformities that were reconstructed using a method that repositions the alar cartilage by freeing it from the skin and lining and shifts it to a new position. The rotation-advancement lip procedure facilitates the exposure and approach to the nasal reconstruction. The nasal soft tissues are transected from the skeletal base, reshaped, repositioned, and secured by using temporary stent sutures that readapt the alar cartilage, skin, and lining. The nasal floor is closed and the ala base is positioned to match the normal side. Good subsequent growth with maintenance of the reconstruction has been noted in this series. The repair does not directly expose or suture the alar cartilage. Improvement in the cleft nasal deformity is noted in 80 percent of the cases. Twenty percent require additional techniques to achieve the desired symmetry. This method has been used by the author as his primary unilateral cleft nasal repair and has been taught to residents and fellows under his direction with good results. This technique eliminates the severe cleft nasal deformity seen in many secondary cases.     

Secondary correction of the unilateral cleft lip nose using a conchal composite graft

The secondary deformity of the unilateral cleft lip nose has many components. One is the dorsal dislocation of the lateral crus of the alar cartilage. We used a conchal composite graft positioned between the piriform aperture and the lateral crus and the upper lateral cartilage to correct this dislocation in nine patients. We believe that this graft is effective because it elevates the lateral crus of the alar cartilage off the depressed piriform aperture. This technique is very simple to perform, and it is easy to achieve nasal symmetry. Our results have been quite satisfactory, with no recurrence of dorsal dislocation. The donor site was covered by a subcutaneous pedicled flap from the cephaloauricular sulcus, leaving an inconspicuous deformity.