Liposuction and Plastic Surgery Information - Functional Rhinoplasty clears airways

Functional Rhinoplasty clears airways - new study

Saturday, 20 January 2007

A study published in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery concludes that "functional rhinoplasty" has more than aesthetic benefits for patients and can significantly assist patients with severe nasal obstructions.

The study examined the results of 41 patients with severe nasal obstruction who underwent functional rhinoplasty at the University of Washington School of Medicine's Cosmetic Surgery Center. Before the surgery, patients were asked to rate the degree of nasal obstruction that they experienced from 1 to 100. This rating was then compared to the rating they gave for nasal obstruction after undergoing the functional rhinoplasty procedure.

The study showed that the rating of nasal obstruction by the patients decreased significantly after undergoing the rhinoplasty procedure, dropping on average from 58.4 to 15.7.

Nasal obstructions can be caused by the wall separating the nasal passages being off-center, called a septal deviation, or by problems with cartilage in the nose leading to valve insufficiency, or where air flow is blocked by swollen areas inside the nose, referred to as turbinate hypertrophy.

The finding of the study casts new light on the treatment of this condition, with rhinoplasty previously being confined largely to aesthetic treatments.

Tags: academic study, rhinoplasty,