A New Modification of Total Extracorporeal Septoplasty: The Shark-tooth Technique

Summary: Extracorporeal septoplasty was proposed for correcting the severely deviated nasal septum due to insufficient outcomes of the conventional septoplasty techniques. This technique is superior in terms of accessibility and visibility of the nasal septum. However, it imposes a risk of creating a saddle nose deformity by disrupting the keystone area. It was aimed to prevent this deformity by developing a new modified extracorporeal septoplasty technique called the ‘’shark-tooth technique’’. This technique is based on the retention of a small triangular segment of the cartilaginous septum on the bony septum, resembling a shark-tooth. By functioning as a mark, the shark-tooth ensures precise repositioning of the septum. It was thought that consequently the septal height would be preserved, thereby maintaining the dorsal profile.