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Cleft Palate Rhinoplasty

Cleft palate rhinoplasty is one of the most challenging areas of rhinoplasty. When you are deciding on who should perform your cleft palate rhinoplasty Dr Robinson urges you to verify how many rhinoplasties that surgeon performs each year and ensure they are performing more that 100 rhinoplasties per year. Cleft palate rhinoplasty is unforgiving to the un-initiated and is not an operation which should be done by the occasional rhinoplasty surgeon. Dr Dan Robinson has performed more than 700 rhinoplasties and does more rhinoplasties per year than anyone else in Queensland.

The challenges of cleft palate rhinoplasty are many, whether it be unilateral or a bilateral cleft. Treatment of a cleft palate rhinoplasty needs to encompass both the functional aspects of the cleft nose as well as the cosmetic components at the same time. Many plastic surgeons do no feel comfortable performing the functional components of cleft palate rhinoplasty which then necessitates another operation. Dr Dan Robinson addresses both of these aspects of the operation at the same time – removing the requirement for a second procedure.

When approaching a cleft palate rhinoplasty Dr Robinson considers the following issues:

  • Previous operations on the nose
  • Previous trauma to the nose
  • Lack of vestibular skin
  • Caudal dislocation of the septum
  • Turbinate hypertrophy
  • Alar hooding
  • Lack of projection
  • Hump or pseudo-hump
  • Weak medial crus
  • Malpositioned / weak lower lateral cartilages

Operative approach

Dr Robinson performs a meticulous operative approach to cleft palate rhinoplasty. He does not rush the operation and spends the appropriate amount of time to get the procedure done correctly. This approach allows for a good functional and cosmetic outcome. The general approach is as follows:

  • Rib graft harvesting
  • External approach
  • Explanation of septum
  • Osteotomies if appropriate
  • Extended spreaders
  • Caudal extension graft for projection
  • Turbinoplasty
  • Lower lateral cartilage replacement
  • Articulated rim grafts
  • Addressing sill stenosis / tightness

Cleft palate rhinoplasty is a very complex procedure. When choosing your surgeon strongly consider how many rhinoplasties they perform and how comfortable they are with rib grafting as well as dealing with the complexities of cleft palate rhinoplasty. Dr Robinson has performed over 150 rib grafts and over 700 rhinoplasties.

To discuss Cleft Palate Rhinoplasty further, please make an appointment with Dr Dan Robinson.

Functional Rhinoplasty Gallery