Anatomical variations of the upper lateral cartilages and their implications in rhinoplasty

Upper lateral cartilage manipulation is often associated with compromise of the middle-third vault. Although the anatomical details of the upper lateral cartilages are of great importance for the maintenance or even the creation of an aesthetically pleasing dorsum with proper respiratory function, the literature includes few studies related to these themes. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the total length of the upper lateral cartilages and their extension under the nasal bones and caudally, and examine the anatomical variations of the upper lateral cartilages and their implications in rhinoplasty.

An anatomical study was performed on 32 upper lateral cartilages of 16 fresh adult cadavers. The upper lateral cartilages were measured for total length, cephalad length (overlapped by the nasal bones), and caudal length (caudally to the nasal bones) using a millimeter ruler. The measurements were recorded and analyzed by BioEstat 5.0 software. The statistical tests were performed at the significance level of 0.05.

A total of 13 male specimens and 3 female specimens with ages ranging between 20 and 60 years were analyzed. The length of the upper lateral cartilage portion under the nasal bones on the right side ranged from 3 to 7 mm (4.62 ± 1.20 mm). On the left side, it ranged from 2 to 7 mm (4.56 ± 1.26 mm). The total length of the upper lateral cartilages ranged from 16 to 28 mm (20.44 ± 3.26 mm) on the right side and 17 to 30 mm (20.75 ± 3.71 mm) on the left side.

Data from this study confirmed the anatomical variations of the upper lateral cartilages, including the portion lying under the nasal bones. This has important surgical implications given the attention required during spreader graft fabrication in order to maintain dorsal aesthetic lines and proper respiratory function.