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Published on: December 11, 2017
The effect on snoring of structural nasal valve dilatation with a butterfly graft
Timur Akcam1, Oren Friedman, Ted A Cook
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Facial Plastic Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, USA. takcam@gata.edu.tr
Objective:
To evaluate the effect on snoring of structural nasal valve dilatation with butterfly spreader grafts in patients with nasal valve insufficiency.
Design:
Retrospective medical chart review and telephone follow-up; mean +/- SD follow-up time, 20.7 +/- 11.34 months (range, 3-48 months).
Settings:
Tertiary care referral center.
Subjects:
A total of 37 snoring patients with nasal valve insufficiency who underwent nasal valve dilatation with a butterfly spreader graft.
Interventions:
The conchal cartilage butterfly graft technique was performed during rhinoplasty through either an external or endonasal approach.
Main Outcome Measure:
To establish through a retrospective review that butterfly graft conchal cartilage nasal reconstruction is effective in reducing snoring.
Results:
After surgery, 30 patients (81%) had significant improvement in breathing, 5 (14%) had slight improvement, and 2 (5%) had no benefit in breathing. Snoring stopped completely in 11 (30%) of the patients after surgery. The improvement in snoring was significant in 13 patients (35%) and slight in 3 (8%). Twenty-six patients (70%) reported tiredness and grogginess on awakening before the surgery. Surgery significantly improved patients' tiredness and grogginess on awakening in 15 cases (58%), slightly improved them in 5 (19%), and did not change the patients' tiredness and grogginess in 6 cases (23%).
Conclusion:
The conchal cartilage butterfly graft yields successful results not only in breathing but also in snoring symptoms in patients with nasal valve insufficiency.
