Semi-open rhinoplasty: a new Maxillofacial technique

The "semi-open" technique is performed by making an incision to access on the mucosa of both the nostrils, and through this access we separate the cartilages of the columella from the alar cartilages, debriding them at the domus. With such access we can perform any type of rhinoplasty surgery with functional or aesthetic purposes.Traditional techniques have undoubtedly some advantages and some disadvantages. The "semi-open" technique has the several advantages of the open technique, and it does not involve the presence of post-surgical scars.This innovative technique provides great predictability and minimal postoperative discomfort, with no aesthetic damage.Rhinoplasty "open" is a surgical technique that allows, through the transverse incision of the columella [1], to access to the osteo-cartilaginous structures of the nose and to make all appropriate changes course to achieve functional and aesthetic purposes, thanks to a direct and wide vision of surgical site. The technique "open" represents a surgical mode to access to the internal structures of the nose, an alternative to more traditional "closed" rhinoplasty, which is realized through incisions made inside the nostrils, in correspondence with the area to be treated.Both these techniques have certainly some advantages and some disadvantages [2], therefore, the authors wanted to test a new technique that shows the advantages of "open" and "closed" procedure: this new technique is called "semi-open", and in this work the authors describe a case that shows the steps of this surgical technique.The "semi-open" technique is performed by making an incision to access on the mucosa of the nostril (Figure 1), and through this access we separate the cartilages of the columella from the alar cartilages (Figure 2), the same operation is performed in the contralateral nostril, debriding them at the domus. Later, with the alar cartilages totally exposed (Figure 3) we can perform any type of rhinoplasty surgery with functiona