Laser-Assisted Rhinoplasty: The Future Generation Rhinoplasty Technique to Preserve Anatomy? A Series of Patients Compared to Patients Undergoing Standard Open Rhinoplasty.

Abstract

Rhinoplasty is the cosmetic procedure that is most difficult to master. Anatomical preservation should represent the main goal of rhinoplasty. One emerging tool appears to be erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser bone and cartilage reshaping. The authors developed a new small laser hand probe to perform what we called laser-assisted rhinoplasty. The authors evaluate the feasibility of the laser-assisted rhinoplasty and the aesthetic and functional result of laser-assisted rhinoplasty compared to classic rhinoplasty. A total of 50 patients were enrolled and randomized into two cohorts: the first cohort of patients was submitted to classic rhinoplasty, and the second cohort to laser-assisted rhinoplasty. The laser beam was used to perform both the resection of the crura and the resection of the nasal hump and osteotomies. Laser-assisted rhinoplasty is a safe and reproducible technique. At a clinical assessment, lateral crura reshaping showed a visible step or excessive skin retraction in 12 percent of the classic rhinoplasty population with thick cartilage and/or thin skin, and this was not present in the laser-assisted rhinoplasty population at 12-month follow-up. The patient satisfaction rate was higher in the laser-assisted rhinoplasty population compared with standard open rhinoplasty. The authors also clinically noted a reduction in edema in the immediate postoperative period in the laser-assisted rhinoplasty population and a more rapid complete resolution of the swelling. The laser-assisted rhinoplasty technique is feasible and safe and has no major complication, and the aesthetic and functional results can be superimposed onto classic rhinoplasty but with a higher degree of intraoperative precision, higher patient satisfaction, a cleaner field, and less bleeding.