Question:
What is an osteotomy and is it often performed with ethnic rhinoplasty?

Answer:
Though not necessary in all rhinoplasties, osteotomies involve 'cutting' or 'breaking' the nasal bones. Osteotomies are usually required when reducing the nasal hump and are also often used to improve a twisted nose or narrow an overly wide nose.

Though osteotomies may involve several approaches, we have detailed one below:

Medial Osteotomies		Lateral Osteotomies
	The bone is cut in the middle with a "back cut" known as a medial osteotomy (diagram on the left). Then, a small bone-knife or osteotome is placed at the edge of the bone as shown. A gentle "tap-tap" technique is used to advance the osteotome along the planned path, outlined in this diagram. Now the bone is cut and may easily be shifted as needed.

For minimally traumatic osteotomies, Dr. Becker has designed small specialty osteotomies which are also available to other surgeons through MicroFrance Corporation, a subsidiary of Medtronic-Xomed. There are many advantages to these "Becker" osteotomies as research has shown that they are less traumatic than the larger, bulkier osteotomies and that less bruising and faster healing times typically result.

The tools that a surgeon uses are an important aspect of achieving technical success. Dr. Becker felt that the best way to exert control over this important aspect of surgery was to personally design and select his own instrument set. Dr. Becker and Dr. Toriumi therefore designed their own specialty instruments and selected others, to create the Becker/Toriumi Rhinoplasty Instrument Set.

This instrument set is commercially available to other rhinoplasty surgeons worldwide.