Patient-Reported Outcomes of Primary Cleft Rhinoplasty: A Long-Term Assessment Using CLEFT-Q

ObjectiveRhinoplasty maneuvers at the time of cleft lip (CL) repair remain controversial. Particularly, the impact of primary rhinoplasty (PR) on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and quality of life (QoL) is largely unknown. This study aims to compare PROs and QoL in patients with CL who did or did not undergo PR.DesignRetrospective study.SettingAcademic tertiary care center.Patients, ParticipantsPatients with CL who completed the CLEFT-Q from 2021 to 2024 and had undergone definitive CL repair at our institution.InterventionsPR or no primary rhinoplasty (NPR) at the time of CL repair.Main Outcome Measure(s)The primary outcome was CLEFT-Q scores across facial appearance, health-related QoL, and facial function domains.ResultsA total of 109 patients with 110 CLEFT-Q responses were included. 22% (n = 24) underwent NPR and 78% (n = 85) PR at time of CL repair. Median age at lip repair was 4.6 [1.6] months, and at CLEFT-Q survey was 10.2 [1.6] years. Among those with intermediate rhinoplasty, nose scores were significantly higher in PR compared to NPR on overall (75 vs. 57, P = .026) and unilateral CL analysis (75 vs. 57, P = .018). NPR patients were significantly more likely to undergo intermediate rhinoplasty than PR patients (71%, n = 17 vs 33%, n = 28, P < .001).ConclusionsPR is associated with improved self-perception of nasal appearance in school-aged children with CL compared to those who did not undergo PR.