Revision rhinoplasty: measurement of patient-reported outcomes and analysis of predictive factors

BACKGROUND: Considering that revision rhinoplasty is one of the most difficult plastic surgical procedures, evaluating patient satisfaction is fundamental in order to determine success and identify variables that may affect the outcomes. Our first study objective was to determine satisfaction levels in revision patients and to compare results with those obtained in primary rhinoplasty patients. Second, we sought to identify factors that may influence the degree of satisfaction. METHODS: Satisfaction was evaluated in 54 revision and 54 primary rhinoplasty patients using the rhinoplasty outcome evaluation questionnaire. To identify associated factors, patients were assessed for demographic characteristics, medical history, follow-up time, reason for revision, graft usage, the severity of nasal deformity, and satisfaction with the provided care and information given before the surgery. RESULTS: All revision and primary rhinoplasty patients experienced improvements in satisfaction scores. Although the improvements were higher in primary rhinoplasty patients, the levels obtained in revision patients can be considered high. We found that young and male patients tend to have less satisfaction increment after the surgery. Patients who underwent revision for aesthetic reasons had higher improvements in satisfaction scores when compared to those patients who underwent revision for a combination of aesthetic and functional reasons. The improvement in satisfaction scores in patients who were satisfied with the information given before surgery was higher. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that significant patient satisfaction is achieved after revision rhinoplasty and highlight the importance of the informed consent process when planning revision, especially on young and male patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40064-016-3166-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.