Long-Term Effect of Intermediate Rhinoplasty in Unilateral Complete Cleft Lip Nasal Deformity

Intermediate rhinoplasties are performed during preschool to reduce the patients' psychosocial burden. At our institution, limited dissection of the cartilages followed by suspension and interdomal sutures was performed through an alar rim incision on the cleft side to minimize the risk of iatrogenic nasal growth restriction. However, the long-term outcomes of "limited intermediate rhinoplasty" through skeletal growth are uncertain.

A retrospective review of all unilateral complete cleft lip and/or palate patients who underwent definitive rhinoplasty was performed. To avoid the confounding effect of primary rhinoplasty, only the patients who did not receive primary rhinoplasty were included in the analysis. The maneuvers performed during definitive rhinoplasty were analyzed and compared between patients who underwent intermediate rhinoplasty and those who did not.

A total of 60 Korean patients (27 female and 33 male) underwent definitive rhinoplasty at the average age of 20.6 years old (17.1-25.5). Forty-three (71.6%) patients previously underwent intermediate rhinoplasty. A combination of 6 maneuvers was performed based on the deformity of each subunit (alar medialization, interdomal with suspension sutures, nostril sill depression correction, septoplasty, osteotomy, and hump rasping). The average number of maneuvers performed during definitive rhinoplasty was significantly higher in the intermediate group (3.31 versus 2.1, P=0.012). Alar medialization and nostril sill depression correction were more frequently performed in the intermediate group, while the frequencies of other maneuvers were not statistically different.

While intermediate rhinoplasty improves the patients' psychosocial well-being, the effects of "limited intermediate rhinoplasty" manipulating only the cartilages do not seem to last until skeletal maturity. A more comprehensive dissection allowing the release of the lower lateral cartilage in the hinge area along with septoplasty may be more effective in providing longer-lasting effects.