A rare complication after rhinoplasty: Nasal-cutaneous fistula

Abstract

Septorhinoplasty is one of the most challenging aesthetic and functional procedures for surgeons. Nasal tip surgery (to refine the nasal tip) is a compulsory stage of rhinoplasty. Dome division is a technique used for nasal tip surgery, especially for over projection and under projection of the nasal tip. The technique has been modified since the idea was first introduced. Fistula complication after rhinoplasty has rarely been reported. However, we had a 25-year-old male patient admitted to our clinic with a lesion on his left nasal tip that had been there for six months. The physical examination showed there was an erythematous, raised and non-healing lesion. When performing this patient’s septorhinoplasty, we noticed nasal cutaneous fistula resulting from chronic nasal skin damage due to a sharp, improperly cut and unfinished end of the lower lateral cartilage. Thus, for this case, we are reporting nasal tip cutaneous fistula, a long-term complication of incorrectly performed dome division surgery.