Cartilage-supported paramedian forehead flaps for reconstruction of full-thickness nasal defects

The nose is an important esthetic structure of the human face, and its defects may lead to serious esthetic and functional losses. In the current study, our aim was to present the results of the repairs that we performed using cartilage-supported forehead flaps in patients with full-thickness nasal defects in various locations.Between March 2009 and March 2012, a total of 6 patients with full-thickness nasal defects underwent repairs using cartilage-supported forehead flaps. Among the patients, 4 were women, whereas 2 were male. The median age of the patients was 60.3 (38-67) years. The defects were caused by either tumor excision or burn wounds. Defect areas were at the dorsum of the nose, the medial canthal area, and the distal half of the nose. The repairs in all patients were performed using cartilage-supported median forehead flaps. In the method we applied, to provide framework support, a cartilage graft was placed into the pouch formed between the frontal muscle and the subcutaneous tissue within the flaps to be adapted to the defect area. The patients were followed up for a median period of 11 (4-27) months. In the long-term follow-up of all patients, satisfactory results in terms of the functional and cosmetic outcomes were obtained.Through the technique we applied, a simple and safe repair with adequate framework support and full color and texture harmony is achieved.