Extracorporeal septoplasty with paramarginal incision

To reconstruct the airways in the case of serious nasoseptal deviation it i s preferable to remove the cartilaginous septum, reshape it, and put it bac k. This may be done through an open rhinoplasty approach with a transcolume llar scar resulting in wide visual access to the septal structures. As the transcolumellar scar may give problems in some cases, it might be helpful t o use an extended paramarginal incision, A traditional open rhinoplasty app roach was used in eight patients and the extended paramarginal incision tec hnique in 19 patients. Two of the eight patients who had the open rhinoplas ty technique developed unsatisfactory transcolumellar scars. Of the 19 pati ents who had paramarginal incisions no patient developed late problems. The paramarginal approach was superior to the traditional open rhinoplasty app roach despite the slightly better visualisation with open rhinoplasty.