Nasal tip ptosis and some of its causes in patients who referred for rhinoplasty

Abstract

Introduction:Nasal tip ptosis or droopy nose tip is a fairly common nasal deformity. Given the importance of correcting nose tip in rhinoplasty and the need to diagnose the causes of tip ptosis.Aims:The current study was performed aimed to investigate the frequency of the causes of this deformity in rhinoplasty candidates.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, 257 patients (205 women and 52 men; mean age: 26.6 ± 1.7 years old) who came to Amiralmomenin Teaching Hospital of Rasht for rhinoplasty in 2011- 2012 were selected by simple sampling method. The contributing factors that led to tip ptosis were diagnosed and recorded based on the results of preoperative and the intraoperative clinical observations.Results:In this study, 44% (113 patients) of the patients had tip ptosis. Statistically, no significant difference was observed between the incidence of tip ptosis in men and women (p=0.504). The prevalence of tip ptosis among patients older than 40 years old was significantly greater (p=0.039). Based on the results of preoperative and intraoperative observations, long caudal septum was the most important cause of tip ptosis. The most common coordination between the causes of tip ptosis in preoperative and intraoperative observations was the thick skin of nose lobules.Conclusion:It seems that nasal tip ptosis is common in our rhinoplasty subjects, and there is only a partial correlation between the mentioned causes of tip ptosis in preoperative and intraoperative assessments, hence more consideration is required for a precise diagnosis of tip ptosis.