Evaluation of aesthetic and functional outcomes in rhinoplasty surgery: a prospective study

Evaluation of surgery outcome measured by patient satisfaction or quality of life is very important, especially in plastic surgery. There is increasing interest in self-reporting outcomes evaluation in plastic surgery.

The aim of our study was to determine patient satisfaction in regard to nose appearance and function with the use of a validated questionnaire, before and after rhinoplasty surgery.

A prospective study was realized at a tertiary centre. All rhinoplasty surgeries performed in adults between February 2013 and August 2014 were included. Many patients underwent additional nasal surgery such as septoplasty or turbinoplasty. The surgical procedures and patients' characteristics were also recorded.

Among 113 patients, 107 completed the questionnaires and the follow-up period. Analysis of pre-operative and post-operative Rhinoplasty Evaluation Outcome showed a significant improvement after 3 and 6 months in functional and aesthetic questions (p<0.01). In the pre-operative, patients anxious and insecure had a worse score (p<0.05). Difference in improvement of scores was not significant when groups were divided on basis of other nasal procedures, primary or revision surgery and open versus closed approach.

We found that patients with lower literacy degree were more satisfied with the procedure. Rhinoplasty surgery significantly improved patient quality of life regarding nose function and appearance.