Excellency of Converse Scalping Forehead Flap for Reconstruction of External Nasal Soft-Tissue Defects

Abstract

Introduction

Reconstruction of external nasal defects poses a challenge for the plastic surgeons. The scalping forehead flap, first described by Converse in 1942 is a versatile technique for subtotal and total external nasal reconstruction. The flap is extremely reliable with robust vascularity and provides excellent colour and texture match for the external nose with minimal donor-site morbidity.

Materials and Methods

In this series, eleven patients with external nasal soft-tissue defects (post traumatic and post excisional) were reconstructed with scalping forehead flap; among them four presented with congenital naevus, three with post-traumatic external nasal defect, two presented with basal cell carcinoma, and two with arterio-venous malformation. The age of the patients ranged between 24 and 67 years; eight male and three female patients were included in this study. Among them three had comorbidities like diabetes mellitus and/ hypertension.

Results

All the flaps survived nicely. I didn’t face any complication in any of my patients. The external nasal defects were reconstructed with scalping forehead flap in two stages with an interval of three weeks in between.

Conclusion

The Converse scalping forehead flap is an excellent option in the armamentarium of plastic surgeons for subtotal and total nasal reconstruction because of its reliability, vascularity, and simplicity even in the era of microvascular free tissue transfer.