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To evaluate the effectiveness of using suspension sutures to relieve obstructed nasal breathing caused by nasal valve stenosis. Subjects, Materials, and Methods:A nonrandomized pilot study of postrhinoplasty patients presenting with symptoms of obstructed nasal breathing was conducted in a private facial plastic surgery practice. All patients demonstrated nasal valve stenosis with a positive Cottle maneuver, clinically evident nasal valve collapse, and lack of response to efforts at reduction in turbinate size. Followup ranged from 7 to 12 months. Four men aged 31 to 58 years (mean age, 43 years) and 5 women aged 26 to 52 years (mean age, 39 years) were included in this study in a 1-year period. The nasal valve was suspended with 2 permanent sutures on each side, which were tunneled within the facial soft tissue to an infraorbital incision to lateralize the nasal valve complex and relieve nasal airway obstruction. Subjective self-assessment data for nasal airflow were collected. Preoperative and postoperative observation and photographic analysis provided objective data.Results: All patients exhibited improvement.Conclusions: Relief of nasal valve stenosis can be achieved with suspension suture technique as described. It is effective and, in our experience, has been the most predictable means of achieving improvement in nasal obstruction secondary to nasal valve stenosis.

The compressive mechanical properties of untreated and chemically and physically treated nasal septum homografts were determined. Mechanical properties of control, saline-, thimerosal (Merthiolate)- and Alcide-treated specimens were similar. At high strains, the stiffness of treated cartilage ranged from 12.8 to 22.5 MPa and was unaffected by storage time. In comparison, irradiated and freeze-dried nasal septum exhibited stiffnesses of 35 and 37.5 MPa, respectively, after approximately 1 month of storage. These values of stiffness were significantly different from controls at a 0.95 confidence level. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that Alcide and Merthiolate treatment did not alter the compressive mechanical properties of cartilage and that a combination of these treatments may adequately sterilize and preserve nasal septum homografts.

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