Complications of Polydioxanone Foil Use in Nasal Surgery: A Case Series

Polydioxanone (PDS) foil is widely recognized as a septal cartilage replacement during rhinoplasties and is thought to be completely resorbable and biodegradable. Since its United States Food and Drug Administration approval in 2010, PDS foil has drawn significant enthusiasm and many surgeons consider it an ideal implantable biomaterial as reflected in numerous studies highlighting its benefits. However, scant literature exists highlighting relevant complications of PDS plates that may potentially lead to cavalier overuse. This descriptive case series assesses the outcomes of PDS foil usage in three patients seen for septoplasty at two independent institutions over the past 5 years. Our results demonstrate that PDS plate usage can lead to septal cartilage loss and resultant saddle nose deformıty associated with prolonged postoperative edema and inflammation. To our knowledge, this is the largest case series of this reported phenomenon.

Caudal Septoplasty for Treatment of C-Shaped Craniocaudal Deviation Using Synthetic Struts

We describe our technique using polydioxanone (PDS) foil for the correction and stabilization of caudal septal deviation. In addition, we evaluate the effectiveness of this technique in the treatment of the C-shaped craniocaudal sepal deviation. A retrospective review was conducted of 55 patients who underwent open septorhinoplasty with PDS splinting for the correction of a caudal septal deviation. The mean age was 35 years (range, 25-45 years), 38 of 55 (69%) were females and all had symptomatic nasal obstruction. Preoperatively, there were osteocartilaginous involvement and hypertrophy of the inferior turbinate at the opposite side of the septal deviation in all cases; whereas 30 (54.5%) patients had a bone spur, 20 (36.3%) had collapse of the external nasal valve due to septal deviation. Five patients complained of sinus headache that resolved after surgical correction. All patients were pleased with their functional improvement and 52 (95%) with their aesthetic results. Only 1 patient required surgical revision, which was due to the development of asymptomatic posterior septal perforation identified at follow-up endoscopy. There were no additional postoperative complications. Splinting of the septal cartilage with a PDS foil was feasible, safe, and effective for the treatment of severe caudal septal deviation. This technique emerges as an alternative to traditional cartilage grafting, especially in patients with insufficient cartilage for harvest or in patients with thin nasal dorsum in whom the use of a spreader graft can widen the nose and modify the normal nose contours, providing long-term support and stability of the septum.