Abstract
Even very small injuries and defects to the free margin of the alar rim can result in notching or structural collapse if not reconstructed. The free alar rim and soft triangle region is quite thin in most patients. Using a flap to reconstruct the free rim can lead to a much thicker than normal alar rim. Composite grafts of a tight sandwich of skin and cartilage can closely match the normal ala. However, use of grafts along a free edge allows for less surface area in contact with the vascular host bed. Therefore, composite grafts are limited to use in only small defects, and even in small sizes, they are still prone to graft loss.
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Boyette, J.R. (2023). Reconstruction of an Alar Rim Defect, Composite Graft. In: Stack Jr., B.C., Moreno, M.A., Boyette, J.R., Vural, E.A. (eds) Matrix Head and Neck Reconstruction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24981-5_53
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24981-5_53
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