Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 May 2007
Nasal bone fractures are the commonest type of bony facial injury causing aesthetic deformity. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of nasal trauma and fracture manipulation on the aesthetic proportions of the nose, by comparing pre- and post-treatment nasal aesthetics. Thirty-two patients (26 men and 6 women) underwent aesthetic assessment prior to treatment of the injury by closed nasal manipulation, 7 to 10 days after the initial injury. Standard facial aesthetic photographic assessments were performed prior to and following manipulation. Assessment involved measurement of standard nasal aesthetic parameters. In the nasal trauma cohort, the main anomalies in nasal aesthetics were nasal deviation and differences in the nasal aesthetic profile. Nasal fracture manipulation successfully reduced deviation from an average of 35° pre-manipulation to an average of 9° post-manipulation.