Hwang So Min, Lim On, Hwang Min Kyu, Kim Min Wook, Lee Jong Seo
Aesthetic, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Center, Good Moonhwa Hospital, Busan, Korea.
Arch Craniofac Surg. 2016 Sep;17(3):140-145. doi: 10.7181/acfs.2016.17.3.140. Epub 2016 Sep 23.
The nasal septal cartilage is often used as a donor graft in rhinoplasty operations but can vary widely in size across the patient population. As such, preoperative estimation of the cartilaginous area is important for patient counseling as well as operating planning. We aim to estimate septal cartilage area by using facial computed tomography (CT) studies.
The study was performed using facial CT images taken from 200 patients between January 2012 to July 2015. Using the mid-sagittal image, the boundary of cartilaginous septum was delineated from soft tissue using the mean difference in signal intensity (or brightness). The area within this boundary was calculated. The calculated area for septal cartilage was then compared across age groups and sexes.
Overall, the mean area of nasal septal cartilage was 8.18 cm with the maximum of 12.42 cm and the minimum of 4.89 cm. The cartilage areas were measured to be larger in men than in women (<0.05). The area decreased with advancing age (<0.05).
Measuring the size of septal cartilage using brightness difference is more precise and reliable than previously reported methods. This method can be utilized as the standard for prevention of postoperative complication.
鼻中隔软骨常用于鼻整形手术中的供体移植，但在不同患者群体中其大小差异很大。因此，术前估计软骨面积对于患者咨询和手术规划都很重要。我们旨在通过面部计算机断层扫描（CT）研究来估计鼻中隔软骨面积。
本研究使用了2012年1月至2015年7月期间从200名患者获取的面部CT图像。利用正中矢状面图像，根据信号强度（或亮度）的平均差异，从软组织中勾勒出软骨性鼻中隔的边界。计算该边界内的面积。然后比较不同年龄组和性别的鼻中隔软骨计算面积。
总体而言，鼻中隔软骨的平均面积为8.18平方厘米，最大为12.42平方厘米，最小为4.89平方厘米。测量发现男性的软骨面积大于女性（P<0.05）。面积随着年龄增长而减小（P<0.05）。
使用亮度差异测量鼻中隔软骨大小比先前报道的方法更精确、可靠。该方法可作为预防术后并发症的标准。
