Discrepancy of subjective self- and external assessment of the nasal appearance in patients with functional septorhinoplasty.

Introduction Satisfaction with the nasal appearance is a crucial parameter of the outcome of functional septorhinoplasty (fSRPL). The visual analogue scale is a suitable instrument for preoperative patient assessment as well as patient-reported outcome measure. In this study we analyzed whether there is a discrepancy in the preoperative perception of the nasal appearance between patients and other individuals, indicating the postoperative outcome of fSRPL.

Methods Pictures of patients (n=81) who underwent fSRPL were taken preoperatively, 3 and 12 months postoperatively with standardized facial images. In addition, patients were asked to complete the German version of the Utrecht Outcome Assessment Questionnaire in Aesthetic Rhinoplasty (D-OAR). The patients nasal appearance was assessed by independent individuals with a visual analogue scale using the photos of patients.

Results The external evaluation of patient s nasal appearance was 1.7 points higher in median than the patient s subjective perception (range -5.7 - 7.00). A large discrepancy between self- and external estimation significantly correlates with higher D-OAR values (r = 0.539, p <0.001). Patients with high scores in the D-OAR trick questions, indicating a body dismorphic disorder, show a significant larger discrepancy between the external- and the self-assessment (2.8 ± 0.5 vs. 1.4 ± 0.3, mean ± SEM, p = 0.017).

Conclusions Large discrepancies between the self and external assessment of the nasal appearance indicate a high influence of the appearance of the nose on the quality of life in patients with functional septorhinoplasty.

Poster-PDF A-1594.PDF

Publication History

Article published online:
10 June 2020