Rasping in Rhinoplasty: Bone Healing Outcomes With Manual Versus Piezoelectric-Assisted Techniques

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Piezosurgery offers precise bone cutting with reduced soft tissue trauma in craniofacial surgery.
• The impact of piezosurgery on bone healing during rasping procedures is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare bone regeneration after manual rasping (MR) versus piezotome-assisted rasping (PR) of the nasal bone in a sheep model.
• To evaluate the histologic outcomes and osteogenesis at early and late time points.

Main Methods:

• Bilateral defects were created on the nasal bone of skeletally mature sheep.
• One side received piezotome-assisted rasping (PR), the other manual rasping (MR).
• Histologic analysis was performed at 3 and 12 weeks postoperatively.

Main Results:

• At 3 weeks, PR defects showed irregular margins with microfracturing, while MR defects had smoother margins.
• By 12 weeks, both techniques demonstrated comparable bone regeneration, architecture maturation, and no inflammation.
• Semiquantitative osteogenesis scores were statistically similar between MR and PR at both time points.

Conclusions:

• Piezotome-assisted rasping modifies early bone surface topography but does not compromise long-term bone regeneration.
• Piezotome use is a viable alternative for bone modification in rhinoplasty procedures.
• Further preclinical investigation supports piezotome application in craniofacial bone contouring.