Fractures of the Nasal Bones: Is External Splinting Really Warranted?

Role of External Nasal Splinting Following Rhinoplasty: Is It Really Important? A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Literature

BACKGROUND

Following rhinoplasty, external nasal splints are used to reshape the cartilage and reposition the nasal bone. Despite the popularity of using an external nasal splint in rhinoplasty procedures, there is still a lack of evidence of the effectiveness of using the external nasal splint post-rhinoplasty. This systematic literature review aimed to evaluate the evidence regarding the use of external nasal splints following rhinoplasty.

METHODS

A systematic search of Cochrane, Medline, and Embase databases was conducted in September 2022. The literature was screened independently by two reviewers, and the data were extracted. Our search terms included septorhinoplasty, rhinoplasty, osteotomy, splinting, nasal splinting, and external nasal splinting.

RESULTS

Initially, 1617 articles were identified, but only four articles were included in the final review. The included studies were all published between 2016 and 2021. The included studies recruited 2425 patients, 20 of whom used external splints and 2415 did not. Out of 2415 patients who did not use an external nasal splint, there were 151 patients with moderate periorbital edema and ecchymosis. There was a decrease in nasal width in 99% of the patients who did not use external nasal splinting postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

According to our findings, nasal splinting should not be routinely used following rhinoplasty, but only in certain patients. There is no clear evidence that nasal splints reduce complications, and complications occurred among both patients with and without external nasal splints. Further studies need to be conducted to confirm this conclusion.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

#facialtraumasurgery: Educational Content of Instagram as a Social Media Source for Facial Trauma Surgery

ABSTRACT

With an uprising influence of social media platforms like Instagram during the last decade, medical and healthcare related posts have accumulated majorly. In particular the head and face characterizes and signifies each individual's human character, which may be the reason why numerous posts are shared on social media platforms. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the content associated with facial trauma surgery and evaluate its educational quality.The authors performed a retrospective investigation on 550 Instagram posts by #facialtraumasurgery due to number of "likes," comments, type of post, language, its purpose, and source. Furthermore, posts were evaluated due to their educational quality by 3 examiners of different educational levels.The majority of posts showed 0 to 50 "likes" and 0 to 5 comments in English language. The major post type were single photographs (289; 52.5%), multiple photographs (188; 34.2%), videos (73; 13.3%) and predominantly case reports (233; 42.4%). The source was 322 (58.5%) posts by surgeons, followed by 185 (33.6%) clinic posts. Only 10% to 18% of the posts were rated "excellent." Interrater reliability between all 3 examiners presented a high concordance with 89% (P = 0.000).Our study presents an analysis of quantity and quality of social media content according to facial trauma surgery. It supports the deduction that most of the content on Instagram is shared by patients and unclear sources and thus is limited informative. Nevertheless, influence of social media on medical information is increasing and practitioners have to face its effect on their patients.

External Splinting Is Not Mandatory After All Rhinoplasties: A Prospective Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND

Although casts or external splint materials are commonly applied on the external nose after rhinoplasty, their beneficial effects have not been previously demonstrated in controlled studies.

METHODS

A total of 40 adult patients who underwent primary rhinoplasty were included in this prospective study. The patients were randomized into 2 groups to use an external splint or not after surgery. Only surgical taping was applied to the nasal dorsum of the patients for whom external splints were not used. The periorbital edema and ecchymosis levels of the patients were recorded on the second and seventh days after surgery. Moreover, all patients had a computed tomography scan at the third postoperative week to measure the distance between the beginning of the osteotomy line on the right and left sides and the midline.

RESULTS

On the second and seventh postoperative days, the levels of periorbital edema and ecchymosis were significantly lower in the patients with taping than in the patients with splints (P < 0.05 for each). No statistically significant difference was observed in terms of the difference in the distance between the beginning of the osteotomy line on the right and left sides to the midline between the group with external splints and that with tape (P = 0.661).

CONCLUSIONS

External splinting may not be used in cases where osteotomy is not performed or in patients where the osteotomies are sufficiently stable. Thus, the disadvantages of external splinting are avoided, and at the same time, periorbital edema and ecchymosis are less common.

Nasal Bone Fractures: Differences Amongst Sub-Specialty Consultants

BACKGROUND

Nasal fractures constitute the largest proportion of facial trauma each year, however, there is no consensus management. In this study, we investingated the role of the consultant and the functional and aesthetic outcomes of procedures performed to address nasal bone fractures.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review of patients who sustained nasal bone fractures was conducted from 8/1/14 through 1/23/18. Categorical variables were analyzed using chi-squared testing and Fisher's exact test, where appropriate, while continuous variables were compared using Mann-Whitney U testing.

RESULTS

During the study period, 136 patients met inclusion criteria for full analysis. The mean age of this cohort was 47.6 ± 20.2 years with the majority identifying as African-American (53.7%) and male (67.2%). Otolaryngologists were significantly more likely to assess pre-operative nasal obstruction (100%) compared to plastic surgeons (24.1%) (P < .001). Otolaryngology elected operative management (53.3%) at a significantly higher rate than plastic surgery (24.1%) (P = .005). Additionally, otolaryngology was significantly more likely to manage patients in an outpatient setting (91.2%), whereas plastic surgery more commonly performed inpatient management (57.1%) (P = .006). Plastic surgery averaged a significantly shorter amount of time from presentation to operative management (7.3 ± 10.7 days) compared to otolaryngology (20 ± 27.7) (P = .019). Consulting service was not associated with a need for revision surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Consultants across subspecialties differ in the management of nasal bone trauma. A more standardized approach is warranted by all individuals involved in the care of maxillofacial trauma patients.

Intranasal Bolsters: A Novel Technique for Nasal Bone Stabilization

Nasal bone stabilization, in the setting of comminuted nasal fracture or surgical osteotomy, represents a challenging surgical experience. Postoperative shifting of osseous fragments may result in compromised outcomes in an otherwise well-performed procedure. Although prior studies have reported nasal bone fixation with implementation of wires, plates, or halos, these techniques are often difficult to employ routinely. Herein, the authors describe a novel and facile technique for the maintenance of unstable nasal bones using customized intranasal bolsters.

Rhinoplasty and External Nasal Splinting: Is It Really a Must?

Rhinoplasty is a common and challenging procedure. Lateral osteotomy is routinely performed in most cases. Most of the surgeons have the habit of applying external nasal splints to stabilize the nasal tissues and bone in their new position postrhinoplasty. These splints are widely used despite the absence of any evidence supporting this practice. Moreover, these splints have a lot of disadvantages, so we conducted this study to evaluate the cosmetic result in their absence.