The benefit and clinical value of CT scan as preoperative assessment for structural functional septorhinoplasty

Abstract

<b>Introduction:</b> Structural functional septorhinolplasty is an operation designed to achieve both aesthetic and functionalgoals, which were the most important success parameters for patient satisfaction. Different preoperative examination toolsare available for assessment.<b>Aim:</b> To evaluate the diagnostic benefit and clinical value of a CT scan, and compare it with other examination tools, such as nasal endoscopy and anterior rhinoscopy for structural functional septorhinoplasty<b>Material and Methods:</b> A prospective randomized controlled study of 148 consecutive patients seeking for a solution to their primary problem of nasal obstruction, and also for a cosmetic effect within the same operation (structural functional septorhinoplaty). They were divided into 3 groups; CT scan group, endoscopic group, and control group (anterior rhinoscopy). The subjective postoperative assessment was carried out with the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation scale (NOSE), Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation scale (ROE), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and SNOT-22 score. Those outcomes at 12-month follow-up were compared to preoperative values.<b>Results:</b> Among 148 patients, there were 77 males (52.02%) and 71 females (47.97%), age range between 19 to 52 years (mean age 23.4 2.7 SD). In all 3 groups, there was a significant clinical improvement in nasal symptoms and structural functional septorhinoplasty outcomes, as well as better ROE, NOSE, VAS, and SNOT-22 scores in the CT scan group when compared to the other two groups, with the P-values being 0.01, 0.01, 0.03, and 0.04, respectively.<b>Conclusions:</b>CT scan is of greater benefit than nasal endoscopy and anterior rhinoscopy and constitutes the method of choice as a part of preoperative assessment in detecting any nasal pathology and assessing nasal anatomical structures prior to structural functional septorhinoplasty.