Evaluation of the Esthetic and Functional Outcomes of Extracorporeal Septoplasty for Rhinoplasty in Asian Patients

OBJECTIVES: In extracorporeal septoplasty (ECS), the entire septal cartilage is harvested, and a neo-L strut is built extracorporeally. Thus, ECS can simultaneously achieve septum straightening and tip projection. This study evaluated the functional and esthetic outcomes of the ECS technique for rhinoplasty in Asian patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 64 patients who underwent rhinoplasty using ECS between January 2016 and March 2018. Subjective patient satisfaction was assessed and objective surgical outcomes were evaluated. Improvement in nasal obstruction was rated using a visual analog scale (VAS). Anthropometric changes were compared between preoperative and postoperative facial photographs. Complications and revisions were also analyzed. RESULTS: The participants comprised 64 patients (48 males and 16 females, with a mean age of 29.3 years). The mean operative time was 89.3 minutes. In total, 61 patients were satisfied with the esthetic outcome, and the overall objective rhinoplasty outcome score was 3.45. Preoperative nasal obstruction symptoms (7.9±1.2 on VAS) improved postoperatively (3.1±1.3, P<0.001), and significant improvements were also observed in the nasofrontal angle (152.3° to 148.1°, P<0.001), nasolabial angle (88.8° to 92.0°, P<0.001), and nasal tip projection (0.62 to 0.66, P<0.033). Recurrent deviation of the nasal septum and external nose or tip deprojection did not occur in any patients, and there were no cases of revision during the mean follow-up period of 13.3 months. CONCLUSION: ECS might be an esthetically and functionally satisfactory alternative rhinoplasty technique for Asian patients with a shortage of septal cartilage.