Prevention of post‐rhinoplasty edema

Postoperative edema was investigated in 50 consecutive rhinoplasty patients utilizing essentially the same technique. All patients were operated upon by the author. Thirty‐five patients were positioned so that the head was elevated 90† postoperatively, and 15 patients were placed in the more commonly utilized position of 30† elevation. Photographs were obtained at 24 hours following surgery. The periorbital edema was then graded on a scale 0 to 3 by four rhinoplastic surgeons who were unaware of any change in postoperative care. Using the chi‐square test there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups. This study allows one to expect less postoperative edema if the patient's head is maximally elevated.