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Anthony E. Hinton, FRCS; Terry Hung, FRCS; Hamid Daya, FRCS; Michael O'Connell, FRCS

Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2003;5:408-411.

Background  External lateral osteotomy performed through a small puncture incision in the skin has numerous advantages, but it has been criticized by its opponents who claim it may leave visible scars.

Objective  To examine whether the external lateral osteotomy actually leaves visible scars.

Methods  Eighty-one postoperative photographs of patients who had undergone the external lateral osteotomy technique were reviewed. The photographic slides were a mixture of some taken 3 months after surgery and others taken 6 months after surgery. Scar visibility was assessed.

Results  Percutaneous puncture site visibility as assessed by 3 surgeons independently was 0% at 6 months after surgery and about 3% at 3 months after surgery.

Conclusion  The external osteotomy procedure produces an excellent cosmetic result at the puncture sites in the skin.

From the Department of Otolaryngology, St George's Hospital, London, England.