Reconstruction of nasal sidewall defects after excision of nonmelanoma skin cancer: analysis of uncovered subcutaneous hinge flaps allowed to heal by secondary intention.

Objective: To describe the experience of a single department using uncovered subcutaneous hinge flaps to repair the nasal portion and adjacent facial subunits of defects after skin tumor excision.

Design: Case series of 16 patients needing reconstruction for lesions of the alar subunit with 1 or more adjacent facial subunits after Mohs surgery for cutaneous malignant neoplasms.

Results: All flaps healed well by secondary intention, and the results were gauged at least satisfactory by the patients and surgeons. In 4 patients there were minor aesthetic concerns: in 1 patient the underlying cartilage graft was prominent and a minor revision was undertaken, 1 patient had effacement of the nasofacial sulcus, 1 patient developed a hypertrophic scar, and 1 patient developed both effacement of the nasofacial sulcus and a scar.

Conclusions: The use of subcutaneous hinge flaps allowed to heal by secondary intention is a simple 1-stage technique that may be useful in reconstruction of small but deep nasal sidewall defects.