Supracrural Ligament Graft in Rhinoplasty

Abstract

AbstractIrregularities of the nasal dorsum or tip are a potential risk after rhinoplasty. Patients with thin skin are considered to be at a higher risk of these irregularities. Different materials and grafts to address areas that may result in a contour irregularity postoperatively include diced or crushed cartilage, temporalis fascia, fascia lata, and AlloDerm. We describe a new graft, the supracrural ligament graft, which can be used to camouflage or add bulk during primary rhinoplasty. The graft is harvested easily during the initial exposure and does not require additional surgical sites or extra dissection. In this research, we described the use of the supracrural ligament graft in 49 patients. We found the average graft size to be 0.6 × 0.4 cm. The graft was used in the following locations: nasal tip (49%), radix (40%), and nasal dorsum (10%). No complications were seen using the graft in any of the 49 patients. In conclusion, the supracrural ligament graft is a safe, simple, and effective camouflage graft for commonly encountered irregularities in rhinoplasty. Common areas of use include the nasal dorsum and nasal tip. Routine harvest of this graft may obviate the need to use either additional grafting material or an additional surgical site to help camouflage areas of concern in thin skin patients.