Upper Lateral Cartilage Overlapping on the High Dorsum with the Let-Down Technique.

[INTRODUCTION] Rhinoplasty is one of the most common procedures among esthetic and plastic surgery interventions. Hump deformities are prevalent among Caucasians, and amputation of the hump is the traditional approach in these patients. The traditional hump reduction procedure is still popular among rhinosurgeons, and research on the management of hump deformities is still being conducted to obtain better outcomes.

[OBJECTIVES] The present study aimed to investigate the effects of upper lateral cartilage overlapping in patients who underwent dorsal preservation rhinoplasty.

[METHODS] In the present study, data from patients who applied to the author's private clinic for hump deformities were screened. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 47 patients were included in the study (39 females and 8 males). The evaluation of patients was performed with the Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation (ROE) scale. The combination of upper lateral cartilage overlapping with the let-down technique was assessed.

[RESULTS] There was no hump relapse in any of the participants. The median initial ROE score was 50.00, and the median ROE increased to 91.00 after 12 months. The change in the median ROE score was found to be significant (p < 0.001). The patient satisfaction rate according to the ROE scale was found to be excellent in 89.9% (40/47) of patients.

[CONCLUSIONS] The combination of upper lateral cartilage overlapping with the let-down technique will provide an alternative approach for surgeons to operate on patients with a high hump and narrow dorsum. This technique will also result in better esthetic and functional outcomes with a lower risk of complications.

[LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV] This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .