Arch Craniofac Surg.  2018 Dec;19(4):260-263. 10.7181/acfs.2018.02271.

Reconstruction of cutaneous defects of the nasal tip and alar by two different methods

• Kim YH
• Yoon HW
• Chung S
• Chung YK

• KMID: 2432588
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7181/acfs.2018.02271

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The alar and nasal tip are important subunits of the nose. Determining the optimal procedure for reconstructing a cutaneous defect in a nasal subunit depends on several factors including size, location, and involvement of deep underlying structures. We treated cutaneous defects after tumor ablation in the alar and nasal tip with a local flap, using an S-shaped design and a modified V-Y advancement flap with a croissant shape.
METHODS
We analyzed 36 patients with skin tumors who underwent flap coverage after tumor ablation. Rotation flaps were used in 26 cases and croissant-shaped V-Y advancement flaps were used in 10 cases. The primary cause of the defects was skin cancer, except for one benign tumor.
RESULTS
The mean patient age was 71 years. The size of the defects ranged from 0.49 cm² to 3.5 cm². No recurrence of skin cancer was noted and all flaps lasted until the end of follow-up. Partial desquamation of the epidermis was noted in one case. The postoperative appearance for most patients was excellent, objectively and subjectively.
CONCLUSION
For cutaneous defects of up to about 4.0 cm² of the alar and nasal tip, local flaps using our methods offered a good cosmetic and therapeutic result. The main advantage of our flaps is the minimal dissection required compared to bilobed and other local flap methods. We believe our flaps are a suitable option for alar and nasal tip reconstruction.

Keyword

Nose; Surgical flaps; Carcinoma; Basal cell

MeSH Terms

Epidermis
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Methods*
Nose
Recurrence
Skin
Skin Neoplasms
Surgical Flaps