Regenerative Medicine and Nasal Surgery

Nasal surgery is a constellation of operations that are intended to restore form and function to the nose. The amount of augmentation required for a given case is a delicate interplay between patient aesthetic desires and corrective measures taken for optimal nasal airflow. Traditional surgical techniques make use of autologous donor tissue or implanted alloplastic materials to restore nasal deficits. Limited availability of donor tissue and associated harvest site morbidity have pushed surgeons and researchers to investigate methods to bioengineer nasal tissues. For this article, we conducted a review of the literature on regenerative medicine as it pertains to nasal surgery. PubMed was searched for articles dating from January 1, 1994, through August 1, 2014. Journal articles with a focus on regenerative medicine and nasal tissue engineering are included in this review. Our search found that the greatest advancements have been in the fields of mucosal and cartilage regeneration, with a growing body of literature to attest to its promise. With recent advances in bioscaffold fabrication, bioengineered cartilage quality, and mucosal regeneration, the transition from comparative animal models to more expansive human studies is imminent. Each of these advancements has exciting implications for treating patients with increased efficacy, safety, and satisfaction.