Improvement of Aesthetic and Nasal Airway in Patients With Cleft Lip Nasal Deformities

Objective: To assess the improvement of nasal morphologies and ventilation after septal cartilage graft and septoplasty of patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). Design: Retrospective case-control study. Setting: Tertiary stomatology hospital. Patients: In total, 118 patients with UCLP who had been diagnosed with a secondary nasal deformity and had reconstructive rhinoplasty and/or septoplasty between 2010 and 2015. Main Outcome Measures: Nasal Obstruction Symptoms Evaluation (NOSE) questionnaire, septum deviated angle, rhinoplasty satisfaction questionnaire, and 3-dimensional photographs. Results: Average follow-up period was approximately 12 months for both groups. NOSE and 3-dimensional computed tomography (3DCT) analysis demonstrated postoperative improvement in nasal airway function of those patients who underwent rhinoplasty and septoplasty simultaneously ( P < .05). Subjective assessment by patients’ visual analog scale (VAS) and objective assessment by 3-dimensional stereophotography demonstrated postoperative improvement in nasal morphologies, particularly the columella deviation angle and nasal depth (representing nasal tip height), which are crucial parameters of nasal aesthetics ( P < .05). Conclusions: In patients who underwent simultaneous rhinoplasty and septoplasty, nasal symmetry and ventilation function were significantly improved compared to the control group. Septum grafts could provide nasal tip support for patients with cleft lip. Three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry helped us to better visualize the surgical results. Although the septal cartilage of Asian patients is sometimes insufficient for simultaneous use for multiple grafts, septum grafts in rhinoplasty of patients with cleft lip nasal deformities could give support for nasal tips.