Gender-Affirming Rhinoplasty: A Scoping Review.

Abstract

This scoping review sought to evaluate the current literature regarding gender-affirming rhinoplasty and map out the available objective findings associated with the procedure to identify gaps in knowledge and inform future research endeavors. A comprehensive search strategy was performed using PubMed and Embase databases. We completed a scoping review of PubMed and Embase for primary research focused on evaluating the objective nasal measurements and patient-reported outcome measurements (PROM) used for gender-affirming rhinoplasty. English language publications related to gender-affirming rhinoplasty were included. Studies that did not report gender-affirming rhinoplasty outcome measures or were published prior to 2014 were excluded. Of the 443 abstracts identified, 18 studies were included for full-text review. Patient-reported outcome measurements, nasal anthropometric measurements, revision rates, and complication rates were collected. None of the PROMs were validated for use with gender-affirming rhinoplasty but generally showed high patient satisfaction. Large variations were noted among nasal anthropometric values between studies. Complication and revision rates were generally low. In this scoping review, we discovered some significant gaps in the literature surrounding gender-affirming rhinoplasty. More PROMs need to be validated for use with this procedure since they are uniquely suited for quantifying the gender-affirming effects. Additionally, the experiences and outcomes of non-Caucasian patients have not been addressed. Despite these gaps, the included studies report revision rates similar to those reported for cosmetic rhinoplasties.