Dr George Marcells presented at the annual Open Structured Rhinoplasty Workshop, held at St Vincent’s Hospital on Saturday February 22.
Open structure rhinoplasty has been described as similar to pitching a tent. Just as you need the poles to hold up a tent, you need strong grafts to provide the structure for a nose surgery procedure that will last.
This analogy was made at the annual Open Structured Rinoplasty Workshop at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney recently, hosted by the Australian Society of Head and Neck Surgery.
Open structure rhinoplasty technique requires advanced training to perform, according to facial plastic surgeon, Dr George Marcells. “It involves a specific series of surgical manoeuvres using the patient’s own cartilage as structural grafts to maintain the nose shape.” The cartilage is usually taken from the patient’s nose or in revision rhinoplasty, from the ribs.
Dr Marcells says this open structure approach provides greater visibility to the internal structures of the nose enabling the surgeon to perform more precise work. “When you consider that even a small change to the shape of someone’s nose can make a big difference to the overall facial harmony, having greater access, control and visibility is preferable.”
He says while this technique takes longer to perform than traditional methods, when it translates to ongoing patient satisfaction it is well worth it.
Facial plastic surgeon, Dr Gillian Dunlop says she is amazed at how popular rhinoplasty has become. “As surgeons, we all do things slightly differently. Attending workshops like this helps to lift our understanding and our ability to meet patient expectations.”
The workshop program covered various topics including anatomical variations relevant to rhinoplastic surgery, facial aesthetics, nasal tip surgery, preparation and pre-op planning, comparing developments in various techniques, computer imaging and post-operative care and management. 30 facial plastic surgeons, plastic surgeons, ear, nose and throat surgeons and registrars attended.
Participants were able to hone their skills in the lab, where theories presented on the day could be demonstrated and practiced on cadavers.
Co-convenor Richard Harvey also presented the positive aesthetic and functional results of research data of patients undergoing open structure nasal surgery.
For more information visit www.aafps.com.au, www.drmarcells.com.au, www.artofrhinoplasty.com.au, www.asohns.org.au