Reduction of nasal fractures under local anaesthetic

Forty five patients with fractured nasal bones underwent nasal fracture reduction under local anaesthetic. Patients used linear analog scores to assess pain associated with the procedure and satisfaction with the reduction. The surgeon also recorded his assessment of the reduction. The patients were reviewed two weeks later and the outcome scores repeated. The procedure was well tolerated and forty three patients (95.5%) stated they would undergo the same procedure again if they fractured their nose in the future. Fifteen patients (33.3%) had significant persistent nasal deformities and were listed for septorhinoplasty. The results of nasal fracture reduction under localanaesthetic are comparable to those obtained under general anaesthetic. The factors that may contribute to poor outcomes following reduction of nasal fractures are discussed.