Improvement in nasal airway obstruction after secondary rhinoplasty for cleft lip: A systematic review

The purpose of the study was to comprehensively review the improvement in nasal airway obstruction after secondary rhinoplasty for cleft lip.

The search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases for relevant studies published within the past twenty years. Inclusion criteria encompassed patients undergoing secondary rhinoplasty with cleft lip nasal deformity and some evaluation of the nasal outcome.

A thorough analysis of available studies identified 29 articles that met the inclusion criteria for final assessment. Seven (24.1%) studies were classified as Therapeutic Ⅱ (T II) according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons level of evidence scale, while the majority were categorized as T III (17.2%), T IV (51.7%), and T V (6.9%). Subjective methods were employed in 21 articles to measure nasal ventilation outcomes, whereas 8 studies utilized objective methods. Overall findings from all included studies consistently indicated an improvement in nasal ventilation post-surgery.

Although there is no consensus regarding the impact of secondary rhinoplasty on nasal airway obstruction in cleft lip patients, this review suggests that it can effectively alleviate such obstructions. We conducted an anatomical analysis to investigate the impact of various surgical techniques on nasal ventilation to provide recommendations for postoperative ventilation assessment.