Immediate or delayed nasal reconstruction in infant after subtotal amputation? Nasal reconstruction with forehead flap in a 2-year-old child.

Abstract

Nasal reconstruction using the forehead flap is one of the oldest recorded reconstructive procedures. The forehead flap is considered a standard for reconstruction of large defect. Most of reports concerning the forehead flap in nasal reconstructions deal with adults. Nasal reconstruction in infants raises some controversies, and very few articles report nasal reconstruction in the infants. A 15-month-old boy was presented after subtotal nasal amputation, after a dog bite. Microsurgical replantation was performed, but proved unsuccessful. The wound healed with debridement and local care. At age 2, nasal reconstruction was performed with autogenous ear cartilage and forehead flap. The reconstructed nose currently appears to be of good color, texture match, and functional. To our knowledge, few reconstructions of acquired nasal deformities using a forehead flap have been previously reported in infants. This 2-year-old patient may be among the youngest to have undergone this procedure. The forehead flap can be applied in very young children with reasonable expectations of excellent functional and esthetic outcome. Long-term results remain to be seen regarding nasal function and growth.