Technical advances in the correction of septal perforation associated with closed rhinoplasty

To demonstrate technical advances for closing septal perforations that allow the perforation repair to be performed with primary or revisional closed rhinoplasty during the same operation.

We used this technique with closed rhinoseptoplasty in 258 cases of perforations in which the perforation ranged from 1.0 to 3.5 cm in diameter. We repaired the perforation using bilateral intranasal submucoperichondrial and submucoperiosteal advancement flaps with a sandwich graft interposition between. We prepared the sandwich graft using the auricular or septal cartilage and 2 layers of deep temporoparietal fascia.

In every case, the septal perforation was corrected along with the closed rhinoseptoplasty and, because this is a conservative approach, the vascularization of the columella and anterior septum was preserved, with an excellent view of all the structures involved.

Perforation repair represents a challenge to most surgeons owing to the low rates of successful correction with some techniques. Some of these techniques not only fail to rectify nasal aesthetics and the perforation during the same surgery but also cause undesired aesthetic alterations due to the retraction and rotation of tissues to close the perforation. We have performed this repair since 1989, allowing for closure of the perforation in 257 of 258 patients.