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There are various methods of lengthening the nose after trauma or for congenitally short noses. Forehead flaps and bone and cartilage grafts to the nasal dorsum are routinely performed. Bone grafts to the dorsum are onlay grafts that can show resorption. In craniofacial procedures, e.g., after Le Fort II/III osteotomies, the nose is brought forward and downward as necessary.

This principle for nasal lengthening has been applied to 11 patients with congenitally short noses or after trauma. A coronal incision was made, an extensive subperiosteal skin undermining above the entire nasal bones and the piriform aperture was performed. Then a naso-frontal osteotomy was carried out, which runs downward to the piriform aperture. It runs either anteriorly to the lacrimal sac or it runs behind it through the medial orbital wall. It then crosses the inferior orbital rim and runs from there into the nasal floor. The nasal lining is released and the osteotomized fragment mobilized and moved caudally and anteriorly.

This results in a deviation of the nasal septum, requiring a septoplasty. Cranial bone grafts (outer table) are interposed in the osteotomy gaps and fixed with microplates. This method of nose lengthening was applied to 11 patients with good results.