Follow-up of extensive calcified costal cartilage-based rhinoplasty in Chinese People.

[OBJECTIVE] To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no such study in the area of extensive calcified costal cartilage rhinoplasty. The study evaluated patients' satisfaction with extensive calcified costal cartilage compared with no calcified costal cartilage.

[METHOD] Thirty-five patients with extensive calcified costal cartilage underwent rhinoplasty at our institution between January 2018 and May 2020. We also used a control group of 35 patients with absent rib cartilage calcification to compare the outcomes. Satisfaction was evaluated by the photogrammetric measurements and Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation (ROE) scale.

[RESULTS] We found no significant difference in the nose measurement between the two groups before and after the operation. Besides, both groups had a significant difference in comparison with preoperative after surgery except for the nasofrontal angle. The difference between preoperative and postoperative ROE scores was statistically significant in both groups. We also compared the satisfaction of preoperative and postoperative outcomes between the two groups, where no difference was found between them. Each group had a patient who occurred an infection after surgery.

[CONCLUSION] Autologous costal cartilage provides the most abundant source for graft fabrication. Patients with extensive calcified cartilage could undergo rhinoplasty and have satisfactory results instead of choosing an artificial implant.