"Cross-stealing" technique for septal perforation closure

The authors described a technique for the surgical repair of anterior septal perforations of medium size (up to 2 cm). This technique is based on two mucoperichondral (mucoperiosteal) flaps, one from each side of the septum. Four patients have been treated in this way, resulting in permanent and complete closure in three of them. In one patient the perforation has been significantly reduced and positioned much more posteriorly. The main advantage of this technique is a mutual overlapping of the raw flap surfaces which prevents drying-out and decay of the flaps. This technique proves to be rather simple to perform and has not shown any evidence of disturbed nasal physiology in a long-term follow-up period.