Objectives: The blood supply to the nasal tip and columella was examined to determine whether it could be damaged as a result of transcolumellar incision during an external rhinoplasty approach in Asians.
Methods: The blood vessels that supply the nasal tip were examined by dissecting 51 cadavers, and their corresponding 102 nasal sections were injected with red latex before dissection. The size and distribution of the vessels were measured with the unaided eye and the primary supply vessels were determined. The subdermal layer in which the vessels lie and the course of the vessels were also investigated.
Results: The main blood supply source of the nasal tip proved to be the lateral nasal artery in 78% (80/102) of the cases examined, while the remaining cases (22%) received their blood supply via the dorsal nasal artery. Columellar branches were narrow in diameter and varied in size and appearance, and were therefore appeared insufficient as a main blood supply. These arteries passed through the musculoaponeurotic layer, but they were also in close proximity to the main surgical plane in the dome of the lower lateral cartilage.
Conclusions: The authors speculate that the nasal tip blood supply in Asians is primarily derived from the lateral nasal or dorsal nasal arteries, with a variable contribution from the columella arteries. Therefore, it is important to correctly determine the surgical plane below the musculoaponeurotic layer in order to prevent skin flap necrosis or nasal tip deformity that may occur from damage to the main vessel during an external rhinoplasty approach.