Vertical Dome Division: A Quality‐of‐Life Outcome Study

Abstract

Objective: To assess quality-of-life outcomes in patients undergoing vertical dome division technique using a validated instrument, the Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation (ROE). Method: Patients undergoing primary cosmetic and functional rhinoseptoplasty using vertical dome division were consecutively evaluated from December 2010 through October 2011 at a facial plastic clinic of a tertiary center in Brazil. During surgery patients were classified as normal-, thin-, or thick-skinned. ROE and 100-mm visual analogue scales (VAS) were administered pre- and postoperatively. Results: Thirty-one patients were included, and all answered pre- and postoperative questionnaires. Mean age was 31 ± 13 years, 18 (58%) were female, and mean follow-up was 92 days (range 30-191). ROE scores was higher postoperatively (75 [±16] vs 32 [±18]; P < .001). Post- and preoperative ROE and VAS variation were 42 (±17) and 68 (40-81), P < .001. Postoperative ROE scores were similar among normal or thin-skinned and thick-skinned patients (78 [±13] vs 69 [±19]; P = .123). VAS postoperative scores were higher among normal or thin skinned (90 mm [77-100]) than among thick-skinned patients (69 mm [51-93]; P = .008). Follow-up is ongoing. Conclusion: Our preliminary results demonstrated that vertical dome division is a versatile technique to nasal tip refinement that resulted in improvement of rhinoplasty-related short-term quality-of-life outcomes. Skin thickness does not seem to be a condition for using vertical dome division technique. Follow-up is still ongoing.