Assessing the Safety and Efficacy of Pediatric Nasal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Pediatric nasal surgery has been controversial due to concerns about facial growth during adolescence. There is limited data on patient outcomes and no clear guidelines on the optimal age for surgery.To evaluate the safety, complication, and revision rates of nasal surgery in children.Systematic review and meta-analysis of septoplasty, rhinoplasty, and septorhinoplasty studies from 1994 to 2024, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines.Studies on primary nasal septal surgery in children (ages: 0-18) were included. Data was analyzed using ANOVA and chi-squared testing.Twenty-three studies with 27,840 patients were included. Septoplasty had the highest age at surgery and low complication and revision rates. Septorhinoplasty had the youngest age at surgery, and high complication and revision rates. Rhinoplasty had high complications but low revision rates.Pediatric septoplasty has low complication and revision rates. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal age for each procedure.