Pre-op mental health doesn't affect rhinoplasty outcomes

(HealthDay)—For patients undergoing rhinoplasty, preoperative mental health does not appear to affect patient satisfaction with functional outcomes, according to a study published online Feb. 15 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

Erika Strazdins, M.D., from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, and colleagues conducted a case-control study to examine baseline nasal function and postsurgical functional outcomes for 88 consecutive patients undergoing rhinoplasty. The authors examined the correlation between preoperative mental health and satisfaction with functional outcomes of rhinoplasty assessed preoperatively and at six months postoperatively.

Based on the 36-item Optum SF-36v2 Health Survey mental component summary, impaired well-being was defined in 24 cases and normal well-being in 64 controls. The researchers observed improvements across most nasal function outcomes in the total study population and in both groups. Both groups had benefit in terms of visual analog scale, the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation Scale, and the 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test scores after rhinoplasty. For both groups, nasal peak inspiratory flow improved, while nasal airway resistance and minimum cross-sectional area remained similar. Compared with controls, patients with poor mental health had similar improvements in nasal function.

"Rhinoplasty imparts similar benefits to nasal function assessed by patient-reported outcome measures and objective airflow measures regardless of preoperative mental health status," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

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