Nose reconstruction options decided for you by new computer program, but the doctor still has to choose the correct procedure.
An academic team has determined that a fractured nose can be an easy fix. That is, of course, as long as the surgeon chooses the right procedure.
When it comes to a fractured nose, some surgeons prefer open surgery, others prefer minimally invasive surgery, and then others recommend doing nothing. The new study indicates that surgeons could benefit from a computer algorithm that considers nasal fractures, and their repairs, on a case-by-case basis. This way, surgeons could be sure of offering procedures that are successful both functionally and aesthetically.
Researchers at Penn State Hershey Medical Center recently studied 86 patients who had surgery for fractured noses. Half of the surgeries were open and half were minimally invasive. But both procedures offered low revision rates. Based on this, the study said, doctors should begin to consider not only the type of nose fracture, but how much the septum has been displaced.
In 2002, plastic surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical center in Dallas, Texas, developed an algorithm to provide surgeons with a plan to use open or closed techniques to treat nasal fractures so as to minimize deformities.
