The Effects of Alar Base Augmentation in Secondary Unilateral Cleft Lip Nasal Deformity

In unilateral cleft lip and palate patients, the alar base is displaced inferoposterolaterally due to the depression of the pyriform aperture in the cleft side, and the drooping of the nostril rim is provoked by displacement of the alar base. This study was conducted between May 1998 and December 2012. In total, 82 patients with secondary unilateral cleft lip nasal deformities were treated using alar base augmentation. The patients were divided into two groups according to the degree of their preoperative alar base asymmetry. Patients with alar base asymmetry 3 and <6 mm were treated with a bony augmentation procedure. Soft tissue augmentation was conducted in 42 patients, and bony augmentation was conducted in 40 patients. In the soft tissue augmentation group, the degree of alar base asymmetry was improved from 2.42 +/- 0.38 mm preoperatively to 0.45 +/- 0.21 mm postoperatively (P < 0.05). In the bony augmentation group, the degree of alar base asymmetry was improved from 4.33 +/- 0.50 mm preoperatively to 0.81 +/- 0.20 mm postoperatively (P < 0.05). In the amount of alar base augmentation, there were statistically significant differences between the soft tissue augmentation group and the bony augmentation group (P < 0.05). This clinical study shows that secondary cleft lip nasal deformities can be corrected with alar base augmentation using soft tissue and bony augmentation and that these procedures can provide reliable, satisfactory, and safe clinical outcomes.

Automated summary

This study treated 82 patients with secondary unilateral cleft lip nasal deformities using alar base augmentation, dividing them into soft tissue and bony augmentation groups. Both groups showed significant improvements in alar base asymmetry postoperatively, indicating reliable, satisfactory, and safe outcomes. Significant differences were found in the amount of alar base augmentation between the two groups, highlighting the effectiveness of these procedures.