Reconstruction of orbital floor fractures using autologous nasal septal bone graft

We describe herein a new technique for reconstruction of the orbital floor, using autologous nasal septal bone and report the surgical results achieved in maxillofacial trauma patients.Prior to its clinical surgical application, a cadaver practice was carried out on 5 formalin-fixed adult human cadavers to establish the feasibility and efficacy of the method. Fifteen patients with orbital floor fractures, operated between 2005 and 2008, using this technique, were included in the current study.Cadaveric practice revealed that an adequate and appropriate size of septal bone graft can be harvested for reconstruction of the orbital floor. All patients except one had satisfactory clinical and radiologic late results. One patient experienced persistent enophthalmos, possibly due to delayed repair and associated displaced zygomatic bone fracture.Autologous nasal septal bone as an orbital floor bone graft has many advantages, including low donor site morbidity, adequacy and appropriateness of size, and similarity of its bicortical morphology and histologic nature compared with the orbital floor bone. Our clinical results strongly support that this technique can become a satisfactory alternative to existing reconstruction methods.