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.