The Turkish Version of the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation Questionnaire: Validation and Clinical Application

BACKGROUND: An assessment of rhinoplasty from the patient’s perspective, in terms of satisfaction and quality of life, is quite important because these are the predominant factors indicating the success of rhinoplasty. AIMS: To translate the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation into Turkish and then validate the new version for use in Turkish patients. STUDY DESIGN: Validation study. METHODS: We enrolled 30 participants who were able to read and write Turkish and underwent primary rhinoplasty. The control group consisted of 58 healthy volunteers with no need for aesthetic or functional nasal surgery. The reliability of the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation-T was analyzed according to its internal consistency and test-retest reproducibility. Discriminant validity was calculated by comparing the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation-T scores between the patient and control groups. Responsiveness and sensitivity to changes in rhinoplasty outcomes were analyzed by comparing the patients’ pre- and postoperative Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation-T scores. RESULTS: The scores for questions 1-6 of the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation-T, as well as the total scores, were significantly lower in the patient group than in the control group (all p<0.05). In the patient group, the scores for questions 1-6 of the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation-T, as well as the total scores, were higher postoperatively than preoperatively (all p<0.05). The scores for each Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation-T question, as well as the total scores, did not differ significantly with respect to test-retest reproducibility (all p>0.05). The internal consistency of the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation-T was high, as evidenced by Cronbach’s α values of 0.887 preoperatively and 0.798 postoperatively. CONCLUSION: The Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation-T constitutes a validated instrument with which to measure rhinoplasty outcomes among Turkish patients.