New York — Tip asymmetry is the most common aesthetic deformity reported both by patients seeking revision rhinoplasty and by surgeons, HealthDay News reports.
Researchers from Columbia College and Cornell University used a questionnaire to determine the aesthetic and functional concerns of 104 patients seeking revision rhinoplasty. They found that tip asymmetry was the most common patient and surgeon aesthetic concern, followed by middle-third and upper-third irregularity.
A mean of 79 percent of patient concerns also were reported by surgeons. The most bothersome patient concerns were tip asymmetry, difficulty breathing or nasal blockage, and crooked middle third irregularity. Investigators also found that 94 percent of 64 patients describing subjective nasal obstruction had objective physical findings related to obstruction.
The authors wrote that differences in patient and surgeon findings were mostly due to differences in assessment skills. “This study sheds light on the major concerns of patients seeking revision rhinoplasty and compares them with the surgeon's objective findings,” the authors wrote. “These findings emphasize the importance of physician awareness of patients’ concerns, understanding the causes of post-surgical nasal obstruction, and clearly explaining nasal aesthetics to patients seeking revision rhinoplasty.”
The study was published in the September/October issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
