Available online 30 April 2024

Severe and combined nasal defects associated with trauma or neoplasm excision can cause significant functional and esthetic problems. To avoid nasal synechia following reconstructive surgeries, a nasal stent prosthesis is required to act as an internal scaffold to support the graft and residual tissues. The purpose of the stent is to maintain internal airway patency and to prevent collapse and contracture of the donor tissues. A conventional nasal stent prosthesis has disadvantages, including the difficulty in maintaining adequate thickness and internal patency during fabrication. Hence, this clinical report introduces the fabrication technique for 3- dimensionally printed polylactic acid nasal stent prostheses using extraoral scanning and photogrammetry methods.

A 48-year-old man was referred from the plastic surgery department for the fabrication of a nasal stent following reconstructive surgery. He had a history of trauma after a street fight 3 months previously with a laceration wound of the left ala, which had been reconstructed with a forehead-based pedicle flap 1 week earlier. On examination, his left nostril had been surgically reconstructed by using a forehead-based pedicle flap and left auricular cartilage (Fig. 1A, B). Following surgery, the

Providing a surgical nasal stent following reconstructive surgery helps to establish the upper airway space and supports the grafted and residual tissues until healing.5 Conventional custom nasal stents have disadvantages, including being time-consuming to fabricate, requiring an additional armamentarium, having low accuracy, and being difficult to modify; it is also difficult to center the internal nares precisely to maintain airway patency. In addition, silicone stents are susceptible to

This clinical report presents an innovative technique and steps for the fabrication of a 3D printed PLA intranasal stent prosthesis using extraoral scanning and photogrammetry methods for patients with reconstructed and repaired nasal defects. The procedure is straightforward, noninvasive, and economical compared with the conventional method. The internal patency, extent, and thickness of the nasal stent were predetermined and fabricated accurately using digital technology.

The treatment was explained to the patients, and written consent for the procedure, photography, and scientific publishing of the procedure performed was obtained before treatment began.

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