Objectives/Hypothesis. During septoplasty, an L-shaped septal strut is often preserved or created. The main goal here is to straighten the nasal septum and to provide the required stiffness of the same. Insufficient stiffness of the septum leads to exceeding the maximum permissible value of its deformation and or its excessive deviation, that could result in functional or aesthetic complications. The aim of this work is to study the influence of the geometrical shape of an L-shaped strut on its stiffness. Designed and testing tools. With the use of means of computer simulation, we developed L-strut cartilage models featuring an improved stiffness and resistance to deformation. On this basis, we developed L-strut models of various shapes from a material simulating the mechanical properties of cartilage tissue. All the models were tested under the same conditions using a multipurpose instrument ZWICK Z100 and a special device simulating the septum loading conditions. Methods. At the first stage of the study, a five-sided septum model was created based on computed tomography scans of human subjects. Then, based on this model, we developed a series of models with various combinations of L-struts, with or without the use of arcs of cartilage. It was assumed that the edges of the septum, connected with the bone support, are fixed, whereas the nasal tip is relatively free-supported. L-strut models were tested under the same loading conditions using a multipurpose instrument ZWICK Z100 and a special device simulating the septum loading conditions. The loading of the models was effected by applying a distributed load along the outer contour, that is the same for all the studied models. On the basis of an experimental data analysis, we assessed the stiffness of the modeled septa. Results. We obtained experimental “Force – Travel” dependence for nasal septum models with different geometry. Is shown that a septum with a wider dorsal strut is characterized by the greatest stiffness. Conclusions. It is found that a septum with a wider dorsal strut is characterized by the greatest stiffness and a higher resistance to deformation. The preservation of an arc of cartilage and a wider dorsal strut increase the overall stability of the structure.

• Adamson PA, Funk E (2009) Nasal tip dynamics. Facial Plast Surg Clin North Am 17: 29–40.
• Garcia JJ (2008) Simulation of high tensile Poisson’s ratios of articular cartilage with a finite element fibril-reinforced hyperelastic model. Med Eng Phys 30: 590–598.
• Grellmann WA, Berghaus EJ, Haberland Y, et al. (2006) Determination of strength and deformation behavior of human cartilage for the definition of significant parameters. J Biomed Mater Res A 78: 168–174.
• Harris T (2010) How CAT scans work. Retrieved from http://health.howstuffworks.com/cat-scan.htm
• Ilchenko GV, Ishchenko OYu, Lynova EN, Prishchep LV (2018) Assessment of organizational loyalty in medical institutions. International Journal of Medicine and Psychology 1(4): 24 – 36.
• Kim DW, Gurney T (2006) Management of naso-septal L-strut deformities. Facial Plast Surg 22: 9-27.
• Lee et al. (2010) Biomechanics of the Deformity of Septal L-Struts. Laryngoscope 120: August: 1508.
• Mau T, Mau ST, Kim DW (2007) Cadaveric and engineering analysis of the septal L-strut. Laryngoscope 117: 1902–1906.
• Mowlavi A, Masouem Kalkanis J, Guyuron B (2006) Septal cartilage defined: implications for nasal dynamics and rhinoplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg 117: 2171–2174.
• Naumann A, Dennis JE, Awadallah A, et al. (2002) Immunochemical and mechanical characteristics of cartilage subtypes in rabbit. J Histochem Cytochem 50: 1049–1058.
• Pena E, Calvo B, Martinez MA, Doblare M (2006) A three-dimensional finite element analysis of the combined behavior of ligaments and menisci in the healthy human knee joint. J Biomech 39: 1686–1701.
• Richmon JD, Sage A, Van Wong W, Chen AC, Sah RL, Watson D (2006) Compressive biomechanical properties of human nasal septal cartilage. Am J Rhinol 20: 496–501.
• Richmon JD, Sage AB, Wong VW, et al. (2005) Tensile biomechanical properties of human nasal septal cartilage. Am J Rhinol 19: 617–622.
• Salalykina EV, Papikyan OA (2018) Issues of optimization of work of nursing personnel under conditions of the central district hospital. International Journal of Medicine and Psychology 1(2): 12 – 16.
• Vicente GS, Buchart C, Borro D, Celigueta JT (2008) Maxillofacial surgery simulation using a mass-spring model derived from continuum and the scaled displacement method. Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg 4: 89–98.
• Westreich RW, Courtland HW, Nasser P, Jepsen K, Lawson W (2007) Defining nasal cartilage elasticity: biomechanical testing of the tripod theory based on a cantilevered model. Arch Facial Plast Surg 9: 264–270.
• Westreich RW, Lawson MW (2008) The tripod theory of nasal tip support revisited: the cantilevered spring model. Arch Facial Plast Surg 10: 170–179.
• Wilson W, van Donkelaar CC, van Rietbergen R, Huiskes R (2005) The role of computational models in the search for the mechanical behavior and damage mechanisms of articular cartilage. Med Eng Phys 27: 810–826.

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.