The Nasolabial Flap in Nose Reconstruction: Tips and Tricks Towards Expanded Usage and Optimized Cosmesis

Abstract

Background: The nose is the most critical aesthetic element of the face and even the smallest loss of substance can create a deformity of concern. The forehead flap has been the workhorse for nasal reconstruction for centuries but requires multiple surgical steps and leads to prominent donor-site scarring. The nasolabial flap allows a single-step reconstruction with a donor-site scar concealed in the nasolabial crease but is conventionally designated for small defects involving the ala. Methods: The authors analysed all surgical records of patients undergone nasal reconstruction by nasolabial flap between May 2005 and December 2021 by the Plastic Surgery Unit of a major regional hospital in Lombardy. Defects were classified according to Burget's subunit principle and the 3-component approach. Reconstruction features and finesses were reported and analysed. Results: In the 16-year period under analysis, 378 patients with nasal defects of various aetiologies received nose reconstruction by nasolabial flap. All nasal subunits were involved; 20 patients had multisubunit defects. In all the cases the reconstruction with nasolabial flap, alone or combined with other solutions, was intended to be one-stage. Conclusions: The authors present several tips and tricks about preoperative planning and design, choice of the pedicle, flap harvesting and sculpting with preservation/restoration of grooves and convexities, conjoining multiple flaps, downsizing extensive defects by a rhinoplasty-like framework reduction. With a careful planning and refined technique, the range of application of the nasolabial flap can include defects involving any nasal subunit and larger and/or multisubunit defects.