The external rhinoplasty approach for the treatment of acromegaly.

Acromegaly produces a syndrome of physiological and physical derangements. Patients afflicted with this disease are often as concerned with the changes in their appearance as with the pituitary tumor. The external rhinoplasty approach to transphenoid hypophysectomy has recently been shown to improve visualization and to have fewer complications compared with the sublabial approach devised initially by Cushing. Three patients are presented in whom this approach was used to simultaneously treat the physiological derangement of acromegaly and to correct the nasal deformity.