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Preoperative dexamethasone reduces edema, ecchymosis after rhinoplasty

Use of dexamethasone preoperatively reduced edema and ecchymosis 7 days after rhinoplasty, according to researchers.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 42 patients with rhinomegaly were randomly split into one of two groups; group 1 received 2.5 mL of dexamethasone sodium phosphate injected intravenously before surgery, and group 2 received a 0.9% normal saline solution injected intravenously prior to surgery. All patients underwent rhinoplasty using a closed approach with an interseptocolumellar incision and resection of the depressor muscle of the nasal septum.

Patients returned at 1 week after surgery, at which time high-quality photographs were obtained. During a blinded analysis, the photographs were rated for the degree of edema and ecchymosis observed in each patient using a scale proposed by Kara and Gökalan.

The two groups did not vary significantly in terms of patient age, sex, duration of surgery, BMI, smoking status or duration of the postoperative period, according to the researchers. However, a significantly lower rate of postoperative ecchymosis was observed in group 1, with a difference of 0.62 between the two groups.

Group 1 also showed significantly lower rates of postoperative edema than group 2, with a difference of 0.68, according to the researchers. – by Abigail Sutton

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.