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Facial Plast Surg 2014; 30(03): 247-259
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1376870
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Skin-Fat-Graft: A Simple Tool for Reconstruction of Small Deep Defects of the Nose

Christian Kreutzer
1   Department of Facial Plastic Surgery, Centre of Plastic Surgery, Marienhospital Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
,
Henning Freiherr von Gregory
1   Department of Facial Plastic Surgery, Centre of Plastic Surgery, Marienhospital Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
,
Helmut Fischer
1   Department of Facial Plastic Surgery, Centre of Plastic Surgery, Marienhospital Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
› Author Affiliations
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Publication History

Publication Date:
11 June 2014 (online)

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Abstract

Small deep defects of the nose after resection of benign or malignant skin tumors are a common challenge in facial plastic surgery daily routine. The use of local flaps has several disadvantages for what reason they are a minor or no option especially in certain localizations in the lower third of the nose. Many elder patients suffer from comorbidities where complex more-staged reconstructional procedures drop out. We present a technique of nasal defect closure with a skin-fat composite graft. Between April 2010 and July 2013, we treated 42 patients with a total of 46 skin-fat-grafts to the nose. We reevaluated the esthetic and functional outcome in a retrospective analysis. In 80% of the cases, the results were rated excellent to satisfactory, 20% fair to poor. Reasons for worse validation were color and contour differences of grafts and surrounding tissue as well as alar retraction in very few cases. Nevertheless, we consider skin-fat-grafts to be a useful tool in single-layer nasal reconstruction in defects of smaller size.

Keywords

nasal reconstruction - composite grafts - skin-fat-grafts - skin cancer
 

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