Outcomes in Rhinoplasty

Saleh HA, Beegun I, Apaydin F.

What this paper says

A review of the tools available for measuring rhinoplasty outcomes, arguing that the operation affects three things at once, shape, function and the patient's psychology, and all three need measuring.

Overview

Health-related quality of life questionnaires are increasingly used after surgery to show whether an operation worked. The authors state that measuring rhinoplasty outcomes is one of the hardest parts of the procedure, because it changes more than one dimension. This article reviews and compares the available instruments.

Sections of note

The authors note an increasing trend to use health-related quality of life questionnaires after surgical procedures.
The stated purpose is to prove the success of an operation with objectively measurable parameters.
Rhinoplasty is described as by far the most frequently performed facial plastic surgery.
Measuring outcomes after surgery is identified as one of the most difficult parts of rhinoplasty.
The operation is described as unique because the surgeon affects three aspects: shape, function, and the patient's psychology.
The authors state that ideally the surgeon should have objective screening covering all three before and after surgery.
The goal of the article is to review and compare those tools; the abstract names none of them and gives no results.

What it means for a patient

Judging whether a rhinoplasty succeeded requires more than one measure, since it changes appearance, breathing and how a person feels.
Psychological screening is treated as part of outcome measurement, not just patient selection.
Standardized instruments are what allow one surgeon's results to be compared with another's.
This is a review with no data, so it does not identify a best instrument or report outcome figures.

Why this paper matters

The three-domain framing is the useful contribution: outcome instruments that cover only breathing or only appearance miss part of what the operation does. Comparable measurement is the precondition for comparing surgeons. The abstract does not name or rank the instruments it reviews.

Terms

Health-related quality of life: How much a condition or treatment affects daily functioning and wellbeing.
Outcome measure: A defined way of recording whether a treatment worked.
Functional outcome: Result relating to breathing and nasal function.
Aesthetic outcome: Result relating to appearance.
Screening: Assessing a patient before surgery to identify relevant conditions or expectations.

Summary written by rhinoplasty.cc from the abstract, 2026-09-09; not medical advice. The authors' own abstract follows.

From the abstract

“In recent years, there is an increasing trend to use health-related quality of life questionnaires after surgical procedures. The idea is to prove the success of an operation by objectively measurable parameters. Rhinoplasty is by far the most frequently performed surgery of facial plastic surgery. One of the most…”

Excerpt; the full abstract is on PubMed.