Congenital Deficiency of Alar Cartilage

Abstract

Alar cartilage anatomically determines the size, position, and shape of the nose type. It is also effective in the respiratory function of the nose. The structure of alar cartilage differs from person to person. Congenital anomalies of the nose due to absence of alar cartilage are extremely rare. Usually, trauma and infections are blamed for etiology. The absence of nasal alar cartilage causes both aesthetically nasal deformities and respiratory dysfunction problems. In the literature, congenital alar cartilage defect has been reported as cases with a substantial partial defect. In this study, it is aimed to present a case with unilateral, isolated, complete alar cartilage absence detected in a patient who underwent septorhinoplasty, and with the treatment approach applied in light of current literature knowledge.