Pediatric Rhinoplasty: A national surgical quality improvement program analysis

Area of Science:

• Pediatric surgery
• Otolaryngology
• Plastic surgery

Background:

• Rhinoplasty in children often addresses congenital anomalies and airway obstruction.
• Limited data exists on patient factors and perioperative outcomes for pediatric rhinoplasty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define demographic characteristics and perioperative complications in children undergoing rhinoplasty.
• To identify predictors of complications in pediatric rhinoplasty patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study using the 2012-2015 American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric database.
• Analysis of 1,378 children aged 18 years or younger who underwent rhinoplasty.
• Multivariate logistic regression to identify complication predictors, with subgroup analysis by age.

Main Results:

• Overall complication rate was 1.52%, with unplanned readmission being most common.
• Younger children (<5 years) had significantly higher complication rates (3.79%) compared to older children (0.66% for ≥14 years).
• Younger patients were more likely to be male, have developmental delays, and present with craniofacial abnormalities.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric rhinoplasty is associated with a low incidence of major complications.
• Younger age is a significant risk factor for complications, often linked to male gender and craniofacial anomalies.