Comparison of surgical outcomes and patient satisfaction after 2 different rhinoplasty techniques.

UNLABELLED: Various methods of surgical treatment are defined in nasal deformities that cause nasal obstruction. Open technique septorhinoplasty is a method that is frequently used for this purpose. This study aims to compare surgical results of open technique septorhinoplasty operations with and without osteotomies. In addition, changes in the quality of life of patients before and after treatment were investigated, and the effects of the 2 methods on patients' quality of life were compared.

METHODS: Patients with nasal deformity were included in the study. Forty patients with wide nasal dorsum and a prominent hump underwent septorhinoplasty with lateral osteotomy (group 1), and 35 patients with a narrow nasal dorsum and a minimal hump underwent septorhinoplasty without osteotomy (group 2). A Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) questionnaire was used to evaluate disease-specific quality of life for patients in both groups. Basic characteristics, operative parameters, and preoperative and postoperative NOSE scores were compared between the groups.

RESULTS: Demographic properties of the groups were similar. Intraoperative parameters and postoperative complications were not different between the groups, with the exception of operation time (which was significantly longer in group 1) and ecchymosis (which was seen in whole cases of group 1 and none of the group 2). Preoperative NOSE scores were similar in both groups. Postoperative NOSE scores were 5 (0-45) in group 1 and 10 (0-45) in group 2 (P > 0.05). The NOSE scores were significantly decreased after the operation in both groups (P < 0.001). The 2 groups were not significantly different when comparing the change in preoperative and postoperative NOSE scores.

CONCLUSIONS: Rhinoplasty with or without osteotomy is an effective treatment for alleviating nasal obstruction symptoms. Osteotomy is an integral but not obligatory part of the operation. The addition of the osteotomy procedure in selected cases prolonged the operation time and significantly enhanced patient satisfaction.