Evidence-based Nasal Analysis for Rhinoplasty: The 10-7-5 Method

Brito ÍM, Avashia Y, Rohrich RJ.

PubMed 32309081 Publisher (DOI)Free full text (PMC)

What this paper says

A structured method for assessing the nose before surgery across the front, side and base views, presented as the most important preoperative step and named for the number of points examined in each view.

Overview

Rhinoplasty is among the top five aesthetic procedures in plastic surgery. This article presents a systematic evaluation covering key areas of nasal and facial analysis, intended to give the surgeon a clear understanding of the anatomy before any decision about technique.

Sections of note

The 10-7-5 method is presented as a methodical evaluation based on current scientific evidence in different key areas of nasal and facial analysis.
It is described as the most important preoperative step for a successful rhinoplasty.
The method is intended to give the surgeon deep understanding of nasal anatomy.
Understanding the relationships between nasal structures, and the consequences of each maneuver on the framework, is said to help set appropriate surgical goals.
It applies to both primary and secondary rhinoplasty cases.
Systematic analysis covers the frontal, lateral and basal nasal views.
The stated purpose is identifying departures from ideal proportions and restoring them while maintaining gender and ethnic congruency.

What it means for a patient

Assessment is done separately from the front, from the side, and from below, since different problems show in each view.
Preserving gender and ethnic character is stated as a constraint on what the analysis aims for.
Every surgical step changes more than one thing, which is why the analysis maps relationships rather than isolated features.
This is a method description with no outcome data, so it does not show that using it improves results.

Why this paper matters

Preoperative analysis determines what operation is planned, and doing it unsystematically is a recognized route to inconsistent results. A named, structured method makes the step teachable and repeatable. Whether it improves outcomes is not tested here.

Terms

Nasal analysis: Systematic assessment of nasal proportions and structure before surgery.
Frontal, lateral and basal views: The face-on, side and from-below perspectives of the nose.
Aesthetic proportion: A described target ratio between facial dimensions used for planning.
Ethnic congruency: A result consistent with the patient's ethnic facial characteristics.
Secondary rhinoplasty: An operation on a nose already operated on.

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

Abstract

Rhinoplasty is one of the top 5 aesthetic surgical procedures performed in plastic surgery. A methodical evaluation based on solid and up-to-date scientific evidence in different key areas of nasal and facial analysis is presented, the 10-7-5 method. This represents the most important preoperative step for a successful rhinoplasty. The 10-7-5 method for nasal analysis is a useful instrument that provides the rhinoplasty surgeon a deep comprehension of nasal anatomy. Understanding the nasal structures' main relationships and consequences of each surgical maneuver on nasal framework assists on establishing the appropriate surgical goals for each patient, both in primary and secondary rhinoplasty cases. This systematic analysis of patient's frontal, lateral, and basal nasal views provides a background to identify changes to ideal aesthetic proportions and how to surgically restore them while maintaining gender and ethnic congruency.

Abstract as indexed by PubMed; the article is open access (PubMed Central).