Introduction: Many surgical techniques have already been described to repair full thickness defects of the inferior part of the nose. The Schmid-Meyer fronto-temporal flap procedure, a little known technique, is based on the old principle of autonomization of a cutaneous flap and uses a tailor-made composite cartilaginous graft placed in the temporal region. This graft is progressively detached and allows mucosal/cartilaginous/and cutaneous nasal repair. Can this technique still be used for nasal full-thickness reconstruction?
Patients and method: Nine cases of nasal reconstruction using this procedure were performed. The 4-steps of the operative technique were described and the results were analyzed retrospectively.
Results: This procedure allows, for some specific indications, excellent reconstruction of the ala, the columella or the nasal tip. In eight cases out of nine, the result was judged good or very good by both patients and physicians. In 78%, the reconstruction was performed under local anesthesia.
Discussion: The Schmid-Meyer flap procedure may still be used for full-thickness reconstruction of the lower third of the nose because it allows a high quality of nasal reconstruction and few scar sequels.
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