[Nasal deformity after bilateral cleft lip repair].

Primary nasal deformity is characterized by apparent prolabio-columellar skin shortness due to alar cartilage dislocation worsened by lack of muscular support. The secondary deformation retains part of the initial deformity, sometimes even worsened by the primary lip repair. Multiple surgical lengthening techniques were used in nasal defect correction, suggesting both technical complexity and unsatisfactory results. Indeed, columellar insufficiency has more to do with abnormal columello-apical skin distribution due to alar mispositioning than an effective lack of skin. Secondary correction by open rhinoplasty allowing careful cartilage reconstruction of the nose tip seems to be widely accepted. However, the nasal defect can be limited by performing a primary intervention focusing on two principles: columellar lengthening by early alar repositioning and simultaneous lip and nose repair.