Facial Plastic Surgery Research Research Articles

Introduction by the Editors-in-Chief.

As we noted in an editorial earlier this year, we are fortunate to have many excellent research papers submitted to Facial Plastic Surgery. These submissions undergo a rigorous peer-review process, and we are grateful to our many reviewers from the facial plastic surgery community for their hard work. The reviewers work diligently to select only the highest quality papers for acceptance; they also provide suggestions and feedback to the authors to improve their work for those submissions that are not selected. Our goal at Facial Plastic Surgery is not a high rejection rate; rather, we strive to offer our readers the best original research in facial plastic surgery.

Outcomes Research in Facial Plastic Surgery: A Review and New Directions.

Outcomes research is a fast-growing field of study that focuses on patient-related aspects of medical or surgical outcomes such as satisfaction and quality of life. In the realm of facial plastic surgery, many outcomes are subjective evaluations based on the patient and physician's judgment as to the surgical result, but little has been done to quantify these qualitative results in an objective manner. This paper discusses the basis for outcomes research and suggests its application to the field of facial plastic surgery. Four new facial plastic outcomes instruments have been developed and are provided for the potential use in measuring the quality of life results of rhytidectomy, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, and skin rejuvenation procedures.

Level of Evidence in Facial Plastic Surgery Research: A Procedure-Level Analysis.

As evidence-based medicine has taken hold across medical specialties, the level of evidence within the facial plastic surgery literature has risen, but remains weak in comparison. There has not yet been a systematic, critical appraisal of the relative strength of evidence among subsets of the practice of facial plastic surgery. The current study is a systematic review, designed to evaluate the level of evidence observed in the facial plastic surgery literature. Five journals were queried using facial plastic surgery terms for four selected years over a 10-year period. Following screening, articles were assigned to a category regarding subject matter, assessed for the presence of various methodological traits, and evaluated for overall level of evidence. Comparisons were made in regard to level of evidence across the breadth of facial plastic surgery subject matter. A total of 826 articles were included for final review. Studies on operative facial rejuvenation and rhinoplasty had significantly fewer authors on average than studies on cancer reconstruction or craniofacial topics. Craniofacial studies demonstrated higher levels of evidence relative to all other categories, with the exception of facial paralysis and facial trauma studies, from which there was no significant difference. In general, reconstructive studies had significantly more authors and higher levels of evidence than did articles with an aesthetic focus. Level of evidence in facial plastic surgery remains relatively weak overall. Reconstructive and particularly craniofacial studies demonstrate higher mean level of evidence, relative to other subsets of facial plastic surgery. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

An Update on Level of Evidence Trends in Facial Plastic Surgery Research

Background: Knowledge of the quality of evidence in facial plastic surgery research is essential for the implementation of evidence-based practices. The purpose of this study is to provide an update over the past decade as to whether the level of evidence in leading journals featuring topics in facial plastic surgery has changed in comparison with prior reports. Materials and Methods: This study is a systematic review, designed to evaluate the level of evidence observed in the facial plastic surgery literature over time. Five journals were queried using facial plastic surgery keywords for four selected years for a 10-year period. After screening, articles were assessed for the presence of various methodological traits and were evaluated for overall level of evidence. These variables were compared across the years studied to evaluate trends in level of evidence. Results: A total of 826 articles were included for final review. For all selected years, level IV or level V evidence was the most prevalent level of evidence. Over time, significantly less level IV (p = 0.009) and significantly more level II (p = 0.007) evidence was published. The proportion of studies reporting confidence intervals (p < 0.001) and p-values (p = 0.02) were significantly greater in later years. Conclusions: The level of evidence of facial plastic surgery literature has increased over time, as demonstrated by an increased proportion of level II evidence, decreased proportion of level IV evidence, and increased use of p-values and confidence intervals. The absolute number of randomized controlled trials continues to remain low.

Patient Databases and Clinical Registries in Facial Plastic Surgery Research-Looking at Outcomes Data on a Broader Scale.

Patient Databases and Clinical Registries in Facial Plastic Surgery Research-Looking at Outcomes Data on a Broader Scale.

Trends in Level of Evidence in Facial Plastic Surgery Research

Evidence-based medicine has increasingly become an integral part of clinical research and practice. The purpose of this study was to assess the trends in the level of evidence in leading facial plastic surgery journals in recent years. All scientific articles within the field of facial plastic surgery published in The Laryngoscope, Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Journal of Plastic Surgery, and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery from 1999, 2002, 2005, and 2008 were rated for level of evidence. The presence of p values and confidence intervals was also noted. Of 975 articles reviewed, 88 percent were clinical and 88 percent were therapy articles. Overall, there was an increase in the average level of evidence of articles published from 1999 to 2008. There was also a significant increase in the proportion of articles reporting p values and confidence intervals. However, the number of articles containing level 1 or 2 evidence remains low. With the increased demand for evidence-based medicine, facial plastic surgery literature has seen an overall increase in the quantity of higher level evidence research published. However, articles representing level 1 and 2 evidence remain rare.

Rhinobase: A Comprehensive Database, Facial Analysis, and Picture-Archiving Software for Rhinoplasty

Rhinobase: A Comprehensive Database, Facial Analysis, and Picture-Archiving Software for Rhinoplasty

Theme Issue on Research in Facial Plastic Surgery

Theme Issue on Research in Facial Plastic Surgery

Outcomes research in facial plastic surgery.

Outcomes research in facial plastic surgery.

Statistical inference in facial plastic surgery: perspectives and alternatives.

Facial plastic surgeons often must make decisions with imperfect information. Statistical inference is fundamentally the practice of using data to draw conclusions about uncertain phenomena. It is important, therefore, that facial plastic surgeons engaged both in clinical practice and in research have an understanding of statistical concepts to conduct research with results that are meaningful, to assess the validity of published research, and to adopt the most effective techniques and treatments. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of classical statistical methods that are encountered frequently in facial plastic surgery research, discuss issues of interpretation of results, and introduce an alternative paradigm for conducting statistical inference.

Outcomes Research in Facial Plastic Surgery

Outcomes Research in Facial Plastic Surgery

Outcomes research in facial plastic surgery: a review and new directions.

Outcomes research is a fast-growing field of study that focuses on patient-related aspects of medical or surgical outcomes such as satisfaction and quality of life. In the realm of facial plastic surgery, many outcomes are subjective evaluations based on the patient and physician's judgment as to the surgical result, but little has been done to quantify these qualitative results in an objective manner. This paper discusses the basis for outcomes research and suggests its application to the field of facial plastic surgery. Four new facial plastic outcomes instruments have been developed and are provided for the potential use in measuring the quality of life results of rhytidectomy, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, and skin rejuvenation procedures.

Facial Plastic Surgery Awards: 1990

The Ben Shuster Memorial award is presented for the most outstanding research paper in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery delivered by a resident or fellow at a national meeting. This year's award goes to Peter Costantino, MD, for his paper on "Evaluation of Hydroxyapatite Cement." Honorable mention goes to Dean Toriumi, MD, Chicago, Ill, for his paper, "The Quest for the Ideal Bone Inducing Implant." The Ira Tresley award recognizes the best original research in facial plastic surgery and was awarded to Lawrence P. A. Burgess, MD, Washington, DC, for his project, "Wound Healing: Relationship of Wound Closing Tension to Scar Width in Rats." The Investigator Development award of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery supports the work of a young faculty member conducting significant research in facial plastic surgery in the training of residents. This award was presented to Daniel Kuriloff, MD, Ann Arbor, Mich, for

1989 Research Awards

The research committee of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery met at the Fifth International Symposium in Toronto, Canada, to consider a variety of high-quality proposals for the Academy's research awards. The Resident Research Award gives up to $5000 to residents who are Academy members to stimulate pilot projects in facial plastic surgery. The Award was presented to John Sillman, MD (Ann Arbor, Mich), for his proposal entitled the "Functional Electrical Stimulation of Denervated Facial Muscle in Rabbits." This study plans to use a pattern of electrical stimulation to maintain the functional capacity of denervated muscle in an animal model. The Investigator Development Award supports the work of a young faculty member to conduct significant research in facial plastic surgery. This $15000 award is given this year to Eugenio A. Aguilar, MD, for his study of "Fat Transplantation: Cell Viability Following Liposuction." This study proposes to use

The Bernstein Award

The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Foundation has initiated a new $25 000 research award in honor of Leslie Bernstein. The award recognizes the great contributions of Dr Bernstein to both education and research in facial plastic surgery. Dr Bernstein was Professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, from 1960 to 1972. He then became the first chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California at Davis in 1972, and remained in that position until 1986. He served as president of the Academy in 1977. He is vice president of the International Association of Maxillofacial Surgery and an Emeritus Consultant for the US Air Force. His 90 publications have resulted in many awards, including the Mosher Award for his work on the timing of cleft palate procedures and the Tresley Award for his animal study on the