Photography and Photodocumentation for the Rhinoplasty Patient

Overview

Photographic documentation is described as an essential part of a rhinoplasty practice. Preoperative photographs are used for counselling patients and planning surgery. Comparing before and after photographs allows outcomes to be evaluated, which the authors state has clinical, research, teaching and medicolegal applications. The article reviews the basics needed to produce high quality standardized images.

Sections of note

• Review article; the abstract reports no patient numbers, no outcomes and no follow up.
• Preoperative photographs are described as indispensable for patient counselling and surgical planning.
• Comparison of before and after photographs enables outcome evaluation.
• Stated applications of that evaluation are clinical, research, teaching and medicolegal.
• The authors note photographic technology is continually changing and can appear daunting.
• The article covers basic photographic principles, equipment and technique.
• Standardization of images is presented as the goal.

What it means for a patient

• The photographs taken at consultation form the permanent record against which the result is judged.
• Standardization matters because differences in lighting, angle or distance can make a result look better or worse than it is.
• Medicolegal use means these images can serve as evidence if a dispute arises.
• This is instructional guidance for surgeons, with no clinical results reported.

Why this paper matters

Rhinoplasty outcomes are assessed almost entirely through photographs, in the clinic and in the literature, so inconsistent photography distorts that assessment. This article sets out the standards for producing comparable images. It does not evaluate whether current practice meets them.

Terms

• Photographic documentation: systematic photographic recording of a patient before and after treatment.
• Standardized photograph: an image taken under fixed conditions of lighting, distance and angle.
• Preoperative: before surgery.
• Postoperative: after surgery.
• Medicolegal: relating to the intersection of medicine and law, such as disputes or claims.