Highly Respected Facial Reconstructive Surgeon Dr. Dean Toriumi Maximizes Nasal Function During Rhinoplasty

    MARINA DEL REY, CA, January 21, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Symptoms of nasal airway obstruction can develop immediately after surgery and can worsen over time. In order to minimize the likelihood and effects of compromised nasal breathing and maximize nasal function, attending to all problems that can compromise nasal function during rhinoplasty is critical, says Dr. Dean Toriumi, a facial plastic surgeon at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Toriumi, a world-recognized specialist in rhinoplasty who trained as an otolaryngologist prior to becoming a facial plastic surgeon, focuses on correcting both functional and aesthetic problems related to the nose. His experience in correcting internal airway problems, such as a deviated septum and nasal valve collapse, helps mitigate post-surgical breathing problems.

"Many surgeons trained to perform the cosmetic part of the rhinoplasty may not take as much time correcting the functional issues," Toriumi said. "In most rhinoplasty operations, it's critical for the surgeon to spend extensive time, usually at least one hour of the operation, working on the nasal septum, supporting the lateral wall of the nose, and correcting the internal and external nasal valves."

At every postoperative visit, Dr. Toriumi has his patients fill out a form that tracks the patient's nasal function. This type of information allows him to determine how effective his surgical procedures are in correcting airway obstruction and preserving good nasal function long term. "My review of patients' responses reveals that the vast majority enjoy excellent nasal function after surgery," Toriumi said. "This is preeminent, because nasal function is as important as nasal appearance. I won't compromise nasal function for the sake of aesthetics."

Toriumi adds that many patients can be so eager to see enhanced appearance through rhinoplasty that they may overlook the most basic element of nasal function. "A rhinoplasty surgeon needs to help patients focus not just on appearance, but on the improvement of nasal function, as this too can greatly affect quality of life issues," Toriumi noted. "Nasal obstruction can result in difficulty sleeping, inadequate airflow while exercising, and problems with taste and smell. Patients should absolutely expect that their nose can look good and function well; neither should outweigh the other."

Typically, a rhinoplasty patient will note a gradual compromise in nasal function over the years, Toriumi said. This is likely due to gradual collapse of the side walls and middle vault region of the nose. To avoid these problems, Toriumi said, structural grafting can stabilize functional structures of the nose. Maximizing nasal function during rhinoplasty may also require additional steps by the surgeon, he added. "Many rhinoplasty patients require more cartilage, and this may necessitate harvesting ear or rib cartilage," he said. "In some patients, maximizing nasal function may also require making the nose slightly wider initially. This width will decrease over time as swelling decreases and scar contracture occurs."

"If a patient has a narrow nose immediately after surgery, nasal breathing is more likely to become compromised over time as the nose continues to heal. Many patients do not even know that their nasal airway is compromised. This is unfortunate, as quality of life is much better when one can readily breathe through one's nose."

The patient shown above underwent rhinoplasty for nasal obstruction but also was interested in improving the appearance of her nose. She underwent a septorhinoplasty with cartilage grafting to stabilize her nasal airway, which was collapsing preoperatively making it very difficult for her to get good nasal airflow. Postoperatively, she did well, can breathe easily, and has a nice improvement in the appearance of her nose.

For more information on natural looking nasal bridges, please call Dr. Dean Toriumi at (312) 255-8812 or email Pat Goldman, RN. at [email protected]

Or visit our website at http://deantoriumi.com/.

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