RHINOPLATIES: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ON 82 CASES

Rhinoplasty is one of the most popular kind of surgical procedure, but to perform it a systematic approach should be considered. The exterior nasal aspect and an intra nasal examination should be done in order to prevent a possible collapse of the nasal valve and a airways impairment. Aim of this retrospective study is to asses the clinical outcome a series of patients affected by functional and aesthetic deficit of the nose and discuss the pertinent literature. Eighty-two patients operated at the Plastic Surgery Unit of Ferrara University were analyzed. There were 54 females and 28 males; surgical techniques were divided in four groups: septum-rhinoplasty, 2 - septum-rhinoplasty plus diathermy of turbinates, 3 - septum-rhinoplasty plus cartilage graft, and 4- diathermy of turbinates alone. Eight patients had a bad result and were considered clinical failures. Chi square text was used to detect those variables (i.e. surgeon, type of surgery and diagnosis) potentially associated with failures. None of variables demonstrated to be correlated with failures. Open and close rhinoplasties have many similarities, but also have distinct differences in terms of intraoperative assessment of structures in their resting anatomic state, range of available technique alternatives, and level of control that ultimately determine the efficacy and predictability of the technique. Thus, the comparison of open and closed rhinoplasties should not be an issue. The successful rhinoplasty surgeon's operative plan is based on a clear understanding of the patient's desired changes, a careful and accurate diagnosis of the patient's anatomy, and a wide armamentarium of surgical techniques. Since few cases failed in our series, rhinoplasties are reliable techniques to treat functional and aesthetic problem of the nose