The purpose of this study is to introduce the patients with bilateral cleft lip nose have lots of distinctive anatomical features such as short columella, inferior displacement of the medial crura of alar cartilage, lowering of the alar dome, flattened tip of the nose, widened nostril sill and prominent vestibular skin web. Although millard, Kaplan and Wray have introduced columellar lengthening by fork flap, it was difficult to achieve satisfying results without reconstructing the nasal skeletal framework of the cleft lip nose deformity for their anatomical distinctiveness. We have performed rhinoplasty on 7 patients with bilateral cleft lip nose from January. 1995 to August. 1997, using onlay calvarial bone graft and suture suspension technique. Operation was performed on basic anatomical structure, skeletal framework using outer table of calvarial bone pushed into the nasal tip area and suspension suture was applied to the framework with anteroinferior projection of nasal tip projection vector by cantilever effect of the calvarial bone which carried out nearly normal anatomical nasal structure. We have obtained satisfying results without complication in all seven cases. In conclusion the method which authors have used shows several advantages. First, it was possible to obtain the substantial skin lengthening in anterior and inferior direction by "Tent-Pole effect" in which creating bony structure projected into nasal tip and traction suturing of the deformed alar cartilages. Secondly, columellar lengthening and close to normal nostril shape was obtained and thirdly, re-deformation of corrected structure was prevented. An expected problem in above method is resorption of grafted calvarial bone which expected to maintain its position under influence of alternation and reformation by reaction between chondroblast and chondroclast results in fibrous tissue replacement, yet long term follow up is necessary for futher evaluation.
Cartilage ; Chondrocytes ; Cleft Lip* ; Congenital Abnormalities* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Inlays ; Nose* ; Rhinoplasty ; Skin ; Sutures* ; Traction ; Transplants*