Comparison of Supra-Alar Crease Deepening Following Septorhinoplasty in Two Techniques: Lateral Crura Steal Versus Lateral Crura Overlay.

[BACKGROUND] Nasal tip correction is one of the most challenging parts of rhinoplasty. The objective of the study was to compare the prevalence of supra-alar crease deepening in lateral crura steal (LCS) and lateral crura overlay (LCO) techniques.

[METHODS] In this prospective study, eligible patients referred to a university hospital for septorhinoplasty during 2022 were included.

[RESULTS] The study was conducted on 200 patients in two groups (100 patients in each group), 162 were women and 38 men with a mean age of 31.12 ± 0.60 years. In the third month of follow-up, 36.5% of all studied patients had supra-alar crease deepening, of whom 13% were in the interrupt group and 23.5% were in the steal group (P = 0.002); however, only 4% in the LCO and 9% in the LCS group had aesthetic or breathing disorders (P = 0.25). Deepening of the alar crease was not significantly related to the skin thickness in the two techniques.

[CONCLUSION] According to the results, both LCO and LCS techniques are effective in achieving successful outcomes, although the problematic supra-alar crease deepening is less common in the LCO group; therefore, it seems to be a more suitable option in cases where there is a greater need to tip rotation, although this finding was not statistically significant.

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