Computer imaging and surgical reality in aesthetic rhinoplasty

Computer imaging enables a surgeon to simulate the postoperative result in a quite artistic and natural manner. Many plastic surgeons, however, are reluctant to use this sophisticated new tool for various reasons, such as the cost of the equipment, the learning process, the extra time involved, and the potential medicolegal implications. The aim of this study was to add experience to the value of computer imaging for rhinoplasty.

One hundred twenty patients with corrective rhinoplasty were followed from 1 to 5 years postoperatively. The authors and the patients compared the "virtual" with the surgical results on a scale from 1 to 4, where 1 = identical, 2 = similar, 3 = approximate, and 4 = poor.

Approximately 70 percent of the surgical results were rated identical or similar by the authors versus 80 percent by the patients, 25 percent versus 14 percent were rated approximate, and only 5 percent versus 2.5 percent were rated as poor. The outcome of the matches between the simulation and the postoperative results correlates favorably with the authors' experiences during the precomputer era. The patients who were satisfied with the outcome in general were not critical about the accuracy of the match. So far, the authors have not experienced medicolegal problems.

The authors have been using computer imaging for more than 5 years, with growing enthusiasm; it has become a valuable tool with which to communicate potential results to the patient during consultation and planning of the procedure. The extra time necessary is well invested. The available software programs are affordable and easy to handle, even for nonexperts.