Autologous Costal Cartilage Augmentation Technique for Treatment of Empty Nose Syndrome

Abstract

Empty nose syndrome is a rare complication caused by excessive removal of normal tissues after nose surgery. The main symptoms of empty nose syndrome are paradoxical nasal obstruction, dryness, crust and dyspnea. Medical treatments such as irrigation, humidification, and ointment are not very effective, so surgical treatments to reconstruct the normal nasal cavity using implant materials are often considered. If the implant is not properly inserted, the symptoms persist and the implant must be removed again, resulting in the only donor site complications. Therefore, it is essential to treat the implant well and insert it precisely. Here we describe a surgical procedure to manage implant materials using autologous costal cartilage in the form of block, diced, and crushed cartilage for augmentation technique.