Postoperative Morbidity Outcomes of Conventional Versus Ultrasonic Osteotomy Techniques in Rhinoplasty

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the postoperative morbidity outcomes of conventional osteotomy and ultrasonic osteotomy with piezoelectric instruments. Methods: The study included 72 patients between 18 and 40 years of age. Osteotomy was performed in 49 patients with the conventional method and 23 patients with ultrasonic devices. All patients' ecchymosis, edema, and pain scores were recorded at the postoperative 8th hour and on the 1st, 3rd, and 10th days. Results: Edema and ecchymosis scores were found to be lower in the ultrasonic group compared to the conventional group on postoperative day 1. However, only the differences in the latter were statistically significant (p = 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the pain scores of both groups. Conclusion: We believe ultrasonic osteotomy may be more beneficial in terms of early edema and ecchymosis in studies with a large patient population and similar dorsal nasal flap elevation.