Reduction rhinoplasty and nasal patency: Change in the cross‐sectional area of the nose evaluated by acoustic rhinometry

The feeling of nasal patency is related to the dimensions of the nasal cavity. After aesthetic reduction rhinoplasty, the cross-sectional areas of the nose may decrease critically. In this study, acoustic rhinometry, a new method based on acoustic reflections, was used to evaluate the internal dimensions of the nasal cavity in 37 patients before reduction rhinoplasty and again 6 months after surgery. The internal dimensions of the nasal cavity--especially the anterior dimensions--were reduced after rhinoplasty. Compared with the preoperative values, the minimum cross-sectional area (at the nasal valve) decreased by 22% (totally) to 25% (unilaterally) (P = .000), and the cross-sectional areas at the piriform aperture decreased by 11% to 13% (P = .02).