Clinical effects of nasal glabellar flap on reconstruction of nasal dorsal and tip

Abstract

Objective To introduce an excellent one-stage procedure for repairing defects of the middle and distal part of the nose: nasal dorsal glabellar flap. Methods According to the size, shape and location of nasal defect, homologous nasal dorsal glabellar flap was selected to cover the nasal defect in 17 cases. Among 17 cases, there were 7 men and 10 women, with age of 38 to 76 years. The locations were nasal tip in 9 cases and dorsum of nose in 8 cases, The area of the defect ranged from 15 mm×15 mm to 30 mm×26 mm. The nasal dorsal glabellar flap, which received a versatile axial blood supply from branches of the facial artery and ophthalmic artery, took tissue from the lax glabellar skin and might appear to be too aggressive for closure of a distal nasal or mid-nasal defect. However, because its design was primarily that of a rotation flap with a back-cut in the glabella region, it was greater than the primary defect in order to maximize tissue movement and decreased wound closure tension at the flap donor site. The secondary defect of donor site was directly sutured. Results The nasal defect was successfully repaired in all patients, and the all flaps survived. The patients were available for follow-up of 1 to 6 months, no tumor recurrence occurred, and the repaired tissue were good match with surrounding tissue in color, thickness and texture, good nasal contour was obtained and no secondary deformity occurred, and therefore the cosmetic results were satisfactory. Conclusions The nasal glabellar flap has evolved into a choice flap for nasal defects of cover since it provides local skin with an exact color, thickness, and texture match for the nasal skin. It allows large reconstructions for up to 30 mm defects leaving minimal scars. It represents an interesting alternative for the reconstruction of defects of the nasal tip or supra tip of the nose. Key words: Nose; Skin; Reconstructive surgical procedures; Surgical flaps; Nasal glabellar flap; Defects