Comparison of Early and Long-Term Effects of Piezosurgery With Conventional Techniques for Osteotomies in Rhinoplasty

Osteotomy is a critical step of rhinoplasty. Various osteotomy techniques have been developed to reduce postoperative edema and ecchymosis and achieve optimal aesthetic results. In this study, we aimed to compare the early and long-term effects of piezoelectric surgery with conventional osteotomy.

In this prospective study, 72 rhinoplasty patients were randomly divided into 2 groups according to osteotomy technique used, either conventional osteotomy or piezosurgery. These 2 groups were compared for postoperative edema, ecchymosis, and pain on the first and seventh postoperative days. The sinonasal outcome test-22 (SNOT-22), peak nasal flowmetry, and Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center test were applied to all patients before and 8 weeks after surgery.

The study consisted of 72 patients, 42 of whom were female and 30 were male. The mean age was 28.1 ± 6.5 (range 18-49 years). On the first postoperative day, edema and ecchymosis were significantly less in the piezosurgery group (P < 0.001). VAS results showed that only the piezosurgery group experienced less pain on the first postoperative day (P < 0.001). Nasal airflow of the patients was evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively, nasal airflow decreased postoperatively in both groups, but this decrease was not statistically significant, and no significant difference was found between the groups. The preoperative and postoperative comparison of odor functions was similar in both groups after the operation, and there was no significant difference between the groups.

Piezosurgery in the early period after rhinoplasty has been shown to decrease eyelid edema, periorbital ecchymosis, and pain compared to conventional osteotomy techniques. However, the superiority of piezosurgery in terms of nasal airflow, olfactory functions and quality of life were not found in the long term.