Intraoperative nasal ala immobilization using the foley catheter

The nasal ala is one of the most frequent surgery sites for a Mohs surgeon to operate on. In order to perform accurate and elegant surgery, the skin surrounding the lesion to be excised needs to be stretched and fixed. Stretching the skin around skin cancers on the nasal ala is problematic, because it lacks underlying bony or fibrous tissue. Several simple techniques are used to support tension and stabilize the nasal ala. These include insertion of the tip of the finger into the nasal antrum, insertion of the back of the scalpel or the back of the forceps, or insertion of gauze. Insertion of a Foley catheter into the nasal antrum is a better and safer method of stabilization of the nasal ala during Mohs surgery (1).