Quality of life in patients with epithetic nasal reconstruction after total rhinectomy

Introduction The management of nasal cavity tumors is often challenging as they tend to show locally aggressive growth requiring radical tumor excision with potentially mutilating changes to the patients’ outward appearance. While total rhinectomy procedures with ensuing epithetic reconstruction lead to excellent local tumor control rates, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding their long-term effect on patients’ aesthetic self-assessment and disease-specific quality of life immediately after surgery and especially after immediate recovery.

Material and methods 12 patients who underwent total rhinectomy between 2016 and 2019 at our institution followed by rehabilitation with a full nasal epithesis were included in the study. The FACE-Q, a patient-reported outcomes assessment tool, was used to measure adverse effects and quality of life. The FACE-Q measures 3 domains: facial appearance, health-related quality of life, and adverse effects. Seven scales were selected for this study.

Results Immediate and long-term adverse effects of total rhinectomy and placement of a nasal epithesis were predominantly limited to the immediate nasal region. While patients were satisfied with their nasal appearance, they reported a worse assessment of their overall facial appearance and a measurable long-term effect on their psychological well-being.

Conclusion Total rhinectomy and reconstruction with a full nasal epithesis is a safe and generally well tolerated procedure. However, the impact the impact on patients’ self-image and overall psychological well-being is considerable. Patients therefore require extensive pre-therapeutic counseling and ongoing support and follow-up.

Conflict of interest

Der Erstautor gibt keinen Interessenskonflikt an.

Publication History

Article published online:
13 May 2021