Application of absorbable internal fixation system in secondary rhinoplasty of patients with unilateral cleft lip.

[BACKGROUND] Postoperative nasal asymmetry is a common secondary deformity following correction of unilateral cleft lip, with insufficient structural reinforcement along the nasal midline representing a key etiological factor.

[PURPOSE] To address the clinical challenge of nasal asymmetry in unilateral cleft lip patients caused by insufficient midline nasal support, this study proposes the use of an absorbable internal fixation system for nasal scaffold reconstruction and evaluates its therapeutic efficacy.

[METHODS] This retrospective study included patients with unilateral cleft lip nose. An absorbable internal fixation system was used in combination with the nasal septal cartilage to reconstruct the nasal cartilage framework. The participants were assessed preoperatively (T0), 1 week postoperatively (T1), and 6 months postoperatively (T2). The four measurements evaluated in this study were the nasal deviation angle (∠α), nasal height ratio (NH/NH'), nasal prominence angle (∠Al-Ns-Prn), and nasolabial angle (∠Cm-Sn-UL). One-way analysis of variance was used for the statistical analyses of the measurement results.

[RESULTS] The sample was composed of 21 consecutive patients with a mean age of 19.04 ± 4.72, 11 (52.38 %) were male and 13 (61.9 %) had right cleft lip nose. No complications were observed during the follow-up period. The ∠α decreased significantly from T0 to T1 (P < 0.05), whereas the NH/NH' (P < 0.001), ∠Cm-Sn-UL (P < 0.001), and ∠Al-Ns-Prn (P < 0.01) increased significantly from T0 to T1. No statistical differences were observed between T2 and T1 in any measurements, except in the ∠Cm-Sn-UL (P < 0.001).

[CONCLUSION] The novel method proposed in this study effectively corrected the unilateral cleft lip nose and maintained stability during the follow-up period.