Upper lateral cartilage transposition in the surgical management of nasal valve incompetence

The treatment of nasal valve dysfunction is very controversial and many otorhinolaryngologists do not always take surgery into consideration. The purpose of this paper is to present the author's surgical technique and the description of 13 patients on which it may work.

Thirteen cases presenting with nasal obstruction secondary to nasal valve dysfunction are reviewed. All of the patients presented with internal valvulary incompetence and in three of them an alar collapse was associated. Diagnosis was achieved by means of the clinical findings and physical examination. An open rhinoplasty approach was employed. The surgical technique consisted in a transposition of the upper lateral cartilage over the alar cartilage. In the three patients with alar collapse a fixation graft from the septal cartilage was also employed.

Nasal obstruction and valvular incompetence seemed improved in all of the cases.

Upper lateral cartilage transposition seems to be an adequate method to solve the nasal valve incompetence.