Examining Preoperative Expectations and Postoperative Satisfaction in Rhinoplasty Patients: A Single-Center Study

Overview

The study measured what patients expected before rhinoplasty and how satisfied they were afterward, separately for breathing and appearance. Adults having functional, aesthetic or combined rhinoplasty between March 2017 and June 2019 were enrolled prospectively at a single centre. Only patients with complete preoperative expectation scales and at least one postoperative satisfaction scale were included. NOSE and SCHNOS scores were also collected.

Sections of note

• Prospective single centre study using visual analog scales for expectation and satisfaction.
• In the functional subgroup, mean preoperative expectation score was 17.98; postoperative satisfaction was higher at under 2 months, 29.59, P equals 0.008, and at 8 to 12 months, 31.43, P equals 0.035.
• In the aesthetic subgroup, mean preoperative expectation was 89.69 and satisfaction was lower at every interval: 79.09 under 2 months, 79.79 at 2 to 5 months, 72 at 5 to 8 months, 78.15 at 8 to 12 months and 75 beyond 12 months, all statistically significant.
• In the combined subgroup, mean preoperative aesthetic expectation was 85.85, with lower satisfaction at 2 to 5 months, 78.94, and beyond 12 months, 75.86.
• The authors conclude preoperative aesthetic expectations are higher in cosmetic and combined patients than what is achieved.

What it means for a patient

• Patients set very high expectations for appearance, around 86 to 90 out of 100, and consistently rated the result below that.
• Breathing results outperformed expectations, which were set low to begin with.
• The gap for appearance persisted beyond 12 months rather than closing with healing.
• This is a single centre study with no comparison group, and the abstract does not state how many patients were included.

Why this paper matters

Expectation management is the standard explanation for dissatisfaction after cosmetic rhinoplasty, and this study measures the gap directly across time. It shows the shortfall is in appearance, not breathing. Whether counselling narrows that gap was not tested.

Terms

• Visual analog scale: a rating along a line, here scored out of 100.
• Functional rhinoplasty: surgery aimed at nasal breathing.
• Aesthetic rhinoplasty: surgery aimed at the appearance of the nose.
• NOSE: the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation, a breathing questionnaire.
• SCHNOS: the Standardized Cosmesis and Health Nasal Outcomes Survey.