Comparison of Permanent Versus Absorbable Suture in the Tongue-in-Groove Technique in Endonasal Rhinoplasty

The tongue-in-groove technique in endonasal rhinoplasty is a commonly used method for making changes in tip rotation and projection. We examine the outcomes of absorbable and permanent suture tongue-in-groove technique in relation to maintaining postoperative tip rotation and projection. A retrospective review of the preoperative and postoperative photographs of 18 patients treated with endonasal tongue-in-groove technique were analyzed. Twelve patients were treated with nylon suture and 6 with polydioxanone suture (PDS). There were 9 females (50%) and 9 males (50%), with the age ranging from 17 to 49 years. The mean follow-up time was 12.1 months. All patients were treated by the senior author in a New York City hospital. All patients were treated with the tongue-in-groove technique in endonasal rhinoplasty; 5.0 clear Nylon suture was used on 12 patients and 5.0 clear PDS on 6 patients. Using an unpaired t test and an alpha value of 0.05, the difference between the preoperative and postoperative tip rotation and projection was statistically significant for nylon (P = .0069, P = .026) but not for PDS (P = .27, P = .15). Using permanent suture in tongue-in-groove technique during endonasal rhinoplasty seems to be a more reliable method for maintaining postoperative changes in tip rotation and projection.