Abstract
Rhinoplasty is one of the most challenging surgical procedures, due both to the diversity of the techniques and to the difficulty in foreseeing long-term outcomes. Each patient has a different nasal anatomy, dictated by genetic inheritance--race, thus requiring a different technique for each case. The international literature emphasizes the techniques used for the Caucasian nose, which is rarely seen in our region. AIM: Evaluate and discuss surgical maneuvers used on rhinoplasty procedures performed on local patients at our ENT residency services. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the operative notes from all patients submitted to rhinoplasty at the Residency Program on Otorhinolaryngology at the Federal University of Uberlândia, from December 2003 to June 2004. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-six patients were submitted to rhinoplasty, in which marginal incisions were performed in 118 (71.1%), with the delivery technique performed on the inferior lateral cartilages and some procedures carried out on them (strut, sheen, sutures, etc). Only 45 patients (27.1%) were submitted to basic rhinoplasty and 3 (1.8%) to open rhinoplasty. CONCLUSION: Most of our patients demanded additional procedures, and the "basic rhinoplasty", commonly performed on the Caucasian nose was an exception on our patients.