Unusual and Fatal Complications of Rhinoplasty

Abstract

• Serious complications of cosmetic rhinoplasty are extremely rare. However, awareness of their existence is essential so that the surgeon can minimize the potential hazards of the procedure. This demands a careful preoperative examination, a meticulous intraoperative technique, and a careful postoperative monitoring of the patient. The complications of rhinoplasty have been classified into infectious, traumatic, hemorrhagic, systemic, and miscellaneous groups. The pertinent literature is reviewed, as well as cases of inclusion cyst formation, disturbance of eye closure, local activation of systemic disease, and fatalities from intracranial injury with brain laceration and pneumocephalus. (Arch Otolaryngol1983;109:164-169)