Lateral Margin Graft for Minimizing Visible Lateral Margin on Radix Using Autologous Rib Cartilage in Asian Rhinoplasty.

[BACKGROUND] Visible lateral margin (VLM) after rhinoplasty is considered one of the potential complications.

[PURPOSE] The purpose is to assess the suitability of implementing a lateral margin graft (LMG) to mitigate the occurrence of a VLM during augmentation rhinoplasty with autologous rib cartilage.

[STUDY DESIGN, SETTING, SAMPLE] This is a retrospective cohort study between January 2016 and April 2022 in a private clinic. The inclusion criteria were patients who underwent augmentation rhinoplasty for esthetic purposes using autologous rib cartilage. Patients who received allogenic tissue grafts or alloplastic materials, those with systemic diseases, and pregnant or breastfeeding females were excluded.

[PREDICTOR VARIABLE] The primary predictor variable is the implementation or nonimplementation of an LMG.

[MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLES] The primary outcome variable is the esthetic satisfaction and the degree of minimization of the VLM when LMG is implemented and when it is not. Therefore, to understand the esthetic satisfaction, the author used the Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation (ROE) questionnaire, and to understand the degree of minimization of the VLM, the author measured the lateral margin visibility score (LMVS) using a 5-point Likert scale score.

[COVARIATES] The evaluated covariates included sex, age at surgery, number of previous rhinoplasties, purpose of surgery, and postoperative complications.

[ANALYSES] The data were analyzed using the independent sample t test, paired t test, one-way analysis of variance test. A significance level of P < .05 was employed for all statistical analyses.

[RESULTS] A total of 69 consecutive patients were included in the study, divided into groups 1 (21 patients without LMG) and 2 (48 patients with LMG). Postoperative ROE scores increased by 15.31 ± 4.03 in group 1 and 22.60 ± 6.77 in group 2 compared to preoperative ROE scores (P < .001). In the patients' LMVS, group 1 had a score of 2.48 ± 0.81, while group 2 had a score of 3.06 ± 0.76 points (P = .009). In the surgeons' LMVS, surgeon 1 indicated scores of 2.38 ± 0.74 and 2.94 ± 0.89 points, respectively (P = .007). Furthermore, surgeon 2 indicated scores of 2.28 ± 0.72 and 2.90 ± 0.83 points, respectively (P = .002).

[CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE] When performing rhinoplasty using autologous rib cartilage, the use of an LMG can minimize the VLM, which increases patient satisfaction and surgical completeness.