The use of local flaps in the one-step nose reconstruction after cancer resection

Purpose of this study is to assess different surgical techniques, comparing them in order to remove nasal skin cancer by restoring the anatomy and the function of the respiratory system without neglecting the aesthetic result.

A total of 107 patients were enrolled in the study between January 2006 and December 2012. We compared the results obtained using 23 front-glabellar flaps, 30 bilobed flaps, 27 nose-cheek flaps, 15 sliding flaps, 12 frontal island flaps.

We obtained the oncological radicality with good aesthetic results. There were no infections and no sensory (numbness and tenderness) and motor abnormalities of the facial nerve. None of the used techniques has lead to scarring ectropion or to alteration of the nasal filter.

The best nasal reconstruction mostly depends on skin cancer location and on the amount of tissue to be removed to definitely eradicate the neoplastic lesion; during the planning of a nasal reconstruction we also must assess adjacent tissue characteristics, the presence of fixed structures and the donor skin area (color, thickness, pils, etc) . Using these parameters we have chosen for the ala the nose-cheek flap, for the dorsum the front-glabellar flap, the bilobed flap and the sliding flap (lateral region) and for the tip both the frontal island flap and the bilobed flap.