Use of Keystone Flaps in Consideration of the Facial Aesthetic Subunit Concept as an Alternative Reconstructive Option for Nasal Defect Coverage.

ABSTRACT: Nasal defect coverage has some challenging aspects for plastic surgeons because of the midfacial location of the nose and the relationship between convexities and concavities of nasal subunits. The authors described our experience with performing keystone flap (KF) nasal reconstruction in accordance with the facial aesthetic subunit concept and demonstrated the expanding versatility of KFs in nasal reconstruction. Between January 2017 and February 2020, 15 patients (average age, 72.07 ± 13.00 years, range: 38-88 years) underwent KF reconstruction for nasal defects. We performed KF reconstruction in accordance with the facial aesthetic subunit concept. Data, including the defect causes and locations, defect sizes, flap sites and sizes, types of KFs, flap survival, complications, and follow-up period for each patient were reviewed retrospectively. Cosmetic outcomes were evaluated by independent plastic surgeons and patients through satisfactory postoperative surveys. Sixteen defects occurred in 15 patients. The defect sizes ranged from 0.8 × 1 cm to 2.5 × 3 cm. The flap sizes ranged from 1.5 × 3.5 cm to 4 × 6 cm. All defects were successfully covered with KFs from adjacent subunits. All flaps survived without any postoperative complications. At the mean follow-up period of 8.33 ± 2.92 months, the objective cosmetic outcomes were rated favorably, and the average subjective patient satisfaction score was 7.93 ± 1.28 on a scale of 1 to 10. We suggest that using KF reconstruction in consideration of the facial aesthetic subunit concept can be a promising alternative modality for covering nasal defects with outstanding aesthetic outcomes.