Nasal trauma. Pathomechanics and surgical management of acute injuries.

This article delineates the structural features of the nose and discusses the major patterns of nasal injury as seen in the cadaveric laboratory and in the setting of two large metropolitan surgical centers. Diagnostic methods are reviewed, including a test of structural integrity by digital compression. Methods of reduction, internal fixation, and techniques of grafting that include the use of overlay and underlay cantilevers complete the author's approach to nasal injury.