Usefulness of Ultrasonography-Assisted Closed Reduction for Nasal Fracture under Local Anesthesia

Closed reduction is the treatment of choice for most nasal bone fractures. In this technique, the nasal bone cannot be directly visualized, proper reduction is confirmed by palpation of the bony contour. This confirmation-via-palpation is in most cases too uncomfortable or painful for patients, and this is the reason why most closed reductions of nasal bone fractures are performed under general anesthesia. Recently, ultrasonography has been adopted as a useful diagnostic method and operative adjunct. In this report, we report the use of ultrasonography as a means to provide palpation-less confirmation of proper reduction, which in turn allows for nasal bone reduction under local anesthesia.