Poster Presentation New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons ASM & AGM

Biodegradable temporizing matrix (BTM) for resurfacing the ‘Antipodean Nose’. (1316)

Hyok Jun Dr Kwon 1 , Wei Lun Dr Wong 1 , Andrew Mr Davidson 1
  1. Plastic Surgical Unit, Canterbury DHB, Christchurch, New Zealand

All plastic surgeons in Australia and New Zealand are familiar with the vexations posed by what we term the “Antipodean Nose”, characterised by heavy actinic damage, multifocal malignancies (typically Basal Cell Carcinomas), multiple previous flaps and grafts to the nose and a paucity of donor sites for local flap reconstruction due to field actinic change in other facial subunits. These patients reach a point where further “cherry picking” of malignant lesions is not feasible due to indistinct margins and widespread involvement. Total nasal resurfacing in these patients is a unique challenge; the defect is typically full thickness skin, with some areas of exposed cartilage or bone. Full thickness skin grafting can be complicated by poor take over these large defects, and split skin grafting results in a large degree of contracture causing cosmetic and functional issues. Paramedian forehead flaps are seldom available in this subgroup of patients due to previous forehead malignancies. NovoSorb™ biodegradable temporizing matrix (BTM) is a biodegradable polyurethane foam sealed with a non-biodegradable polyurethane outer layer. We present two cases where BTM was utilized with subsequent split skin grafting to resurface Antipodean noses.