Outcome of Nasal Valve Obstruction After Functional and Aesthetic-Functional Rhinoplasty

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Plastic Surgery
• Rhinology

Background:

• Nasal valve insufficiency is a distinct cause of nasal obstruction.
• Functional rhinoplasty utilizes spreader and alar grafts to reconstruct the lateral nasal wall.
• Patients may seek combined functional and aesthetic outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess symptom improvement after cartilage graft reconstruction for nasal valve insufficiency.
• To compare outcomes between functional and aesthetic-functional rhinoplasty.

Main Methods:

• Prospective multicenter cohort study of 79 patients with nasal valve insufficiency.
• Patients underwent either functional or aesthetic-functional rhinoplasty.
• Nasal symptoms evaluated using the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale preoperatively and up to 12 months postoperatively.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in nasal breathing observed across all patients (mean NOSE score decrease of 48.6 points at 3 months).
• No significant difference in breathing improvement between functional (51.4-point decrease) and aesthetic-functional (46.6-point decrease) rhinoplasty groups.
• P-value of .49 indicated no statistical difference between groups.

Conclusions:

• Cartilage graft reconstruction (spreader and alar grafts) is effective for nasal valve insufficiency.
• Aesthetic rhinoplasty combined with functional reconstruction does not negatively impact nasal breathing improvement.
• Functional and aesthetic-functional rhinoplasty offer comparable outcomes for nasal obstruction symptoms.