NASAL RECONSTRUCTION WITH CONCHAL CARTILAGE - CORRECTING VALVE AND LATERAL NASAL COLLAPSE

Objective: To analyze the causes and the subsequent management of a co llapsed valve and lateral nasal wall. The causes, including both predi sposing anatomy and the surgical contributions, are presented. Design: Analysis of consecutive patients with lateral nasal wall collapse cor rected surgically with autogenous conchal cartilage grafts. Patients: Fifty-six patients (37 women and 19 men; age range, 19 to 71 years) wi th nasal wall collapse were operated on. Forty-one of these patients h ad undergone at least one previous nasal procedure. The collapse of th e nasal wall as a result of senescence was repaired in 13 patients. Tw o instances of nasal collapse were thought to be due to trauma. Forty- five patients had bilateral involvement. Results: All 56 patients show ed subjective improvement in nasal airway breathing. Rhinomanometry wa s performed in 24 patients and documented the improvement in all 24. F ifty-three patients noted an improvement in the appearance of their no ses. Minimal morbidity was noted and no major complications were seen. Follow-up ranged from 18 months to 13 years. Conclusion: Surgery is v ery beneficial in cases of severe nasal collapse. This major functiona l complication warrants this major surgical reconstructive procedure a nd, as the results of this study demonstrate, predictable positive res ults with little morbidity and no major complications are possible.