Dorsal nasal mucocele: a delayed complication of rhinoplasty

Overview

A nasal mucocele after rhinoplasty is a cyst formed when nasal lining cells are displaced under the skin during surgery and keep producing mucus. Only 26 cases had been reported, most appearing within weeks. The authors describe one presenting more than two decades later and review the causes and prevention.

Sections of note

• Single case report; level of evidence V.
• Mucocele after rhinoplasty is very rare: 26 cases in the literature.
• Believed cause: growth of nasal respiratory lining displaced during the operation.
• Most present within weeks; exceptional cases years later. This case presented 21 years after septorhinoplasty.
• The cosmetically bothersome mass was removed via an open rhinoplasty approach.
• Pathology: simple benign mucous retention cyst.
• The paper also reviews history, cause and prevention of mucocele formation.

What it means for a patient

• A slowly growing soft lump on the bridge many years after rhinoplasty can be a benign cyst of displaced lining and is removable.
• It is not a tumor and is extremely rare.
• One case cannot give a rate or a rule for when to expect it.

Why this paper matters

It extends the known time window for post-rhinoplasty mucoceles to decades and reminds surgeons to keep displaced lining out of the dorsal pocket. Preventive measures are described in the article but not detailed in the abstract.

Terms

• Mucocele: a cyst filled with mucus formed by trapped mucus-producing lining cells.
• Respiratory epithelium: the mucus-producing lining of the nose.
• Ectopic: tissue in a place where it does not normally occur.
• Septorhinoplasty: rhinoplasty combined with straightening of the septum.
• Mucous retention cyst: a benign cyst formed when mucus cannot drain.
• Histopathologic analysis: examination of removed tissue under a microscope.