HEAD AND NECK SURGERY Correction of Internal Nasal Valve Stenosis A Single Surgeon Comparison of Butterfly Versus Traditional Spreader Grafts

Abstract: Nasal obstruction due to internal nasal valve (INV) collapse is relatively common. This article evaluates 2 different methods repairing the INV. Our subject population is a single-surgeon group of 82 patients who underwent a septorhinoplasty for nasal airway obstruction. Patients received either a spreader graft or butterfly graft. There are 30 patients who received spreader grafts and 52 patients who received a butterfly graft. All patients had a minimum of 3 months follow-up. All patients were evaluated with standardized questionnaire. Participants were asked to evaluate improvement in their nasal airway on an analog scale of 1 to 5. Participants were also asked to comment on changes in pre and postoperative snoring and sleep habits. Lastly, participants were queried regarding the ear cartilage harvest and if this bothered them. Patients undergoing both procedures demonstrated an overall improve-ment in their nasal breathing. Significant differences in improvement were observed for patients in the categories of postoperative snoring, sleep, and continuous positive airway pressure use. Patients were not bothered by the ear cartilage harvest. In select patients, the butterfly graft is a useful solution for INV collapse correction. Key Words: butterfly graft, spreader graft, internal nasal valve, rhinoplast