What is the Success Rate of the Use of Spreader Grafts in Secondary Rhinoplasty?

Thank you for the great question. Spreader grafts help to support the sidewalls of the nose in primary and (especially) revision surgery. When these are created from your own cartilage, the resporption rate is basically zero. Spreader grafts can widen the middle third of the nose if they are made too thick, and this leads many surgeons to avoid using them. However, in cases when the bridge is being significantly reduced or the nose is crooked, they are essential to prevent long-term complications and airway obstruction. Graft displacement is quite rate, but can happen with blunt trauma to the nose or aggressive massage or picking after surgery. Whether or not spreader grafts are right for your surgery depends on the anatomy and function of your specific nasal components. Best of luck moving forward!

      Spreader grafts can be used to perform multiple functions.   In general, resorption is not an issue.  They tend to work well to provide functional as well as cosmetic benefit.  Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of rhinoplasties and rhinoplasty revisions each year.  Then look at the plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

The success rate of spreader grafts first start with the correct diagnosis of internal valve collapse.  If that is indeed the case for you then you can expect improvement about 80% of the time.  That degree of improvement is probably even higher when incorporating a upper lateral cartilage flaring stitch as described by Park to the spreader graft reconstruction.  That's long term success rates, meaning there is little concern of graft resorption and loss of improvement or change in aesthetics.  Notice I said improvement, not resolution.  Because you would definitely have improved nasal airflow, but it's still possible that the surgery was successful and yet you still might feel some degree of airflow resistance.

Spreader grafts obligate you to a very discrete widening of the nasal dorsum, an issue that has never been a concern to my patients.  In fact, most of the time it helps to balance the aesthetics of an overly narrow dorsal line of the nose, kind of like smoothing out an excessive hourglass shape. 

Just like any part of surgery, the grafts can shift, warp, or be placed in suboptimal position.  That's why it's important to find a surgeon that specializes in rhinoplasty.