Correction of Nasal Valve Stenosis With Lateral Suture Suspension

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of using sus- pension sutures to relieve obstructed nasal breathing caused by nasal valve stenosis. Subjects, Materials, and Methods: A nonrandom- ized pilot study of postrhinoplasty patients presenting with symptoms of obstructed nasal breathing was conducted in a private facial plastic surgery practice. All patients dem- onstrated nasal valve stenosis with a positive Cottle ma- neuver, clinically evident nasal valve collapse, and lack of response to efforts at reduction in turbinate size. Follow- up ranged from 7 to 12 months. Four men aged 31 to 58 years (mean age, 43 years) and 5 women aged 26 to 52 years (mean age, 39 years) were included in this study in a 1-year period. The nasal valve was suspended with 2 permanent sutures on each side, which were tunneled within the facial soft tissue to an infraorbital incision to lateralize the nasal valve complex and relieve nasal air- way obstruction. Subjective self-assessment data for na- sal airflow were collected. Preoperative and postopera- tive observation and photographic analysis provided objective data. Results: All patients exhibited improvement. Conclusions: Relief of nasal valve stenosis can be achieved with suspension suture technique as de- scribed. It is effective and, in our experience, has been the most predictable means of achieving improvement in nasal obstruction secondary to nasal valve stenosis.