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ENT Appointment 3 Weeks After Injury?

asked 11 months ago by Francie7 in Ireland
Latest answer by Ronald H. Stefani Jr, MD
Question viewed 391 times
Tags: broken nose, options

Just called appointments today to be told I have an appointment for Wednesday 22nd 3 weeks after I received a bang to the nose playing football that slightly knocked it off center & feels abit congested, when I move it in certain parts you can hear little clicks but I have no pain, little or no bruising. Just wondering even after this timelime can this still be a straight forward procedure to restore my nose back to its original midline position? Thanks, Francie

13 answers to ENT Appointment 3 Weeks After Injury?

Appointment 3 Weeks after Nasal Trauma

I would request an appointment to have your nose evaluated sooner than 3 weeks after the injury. If it is a " little off center" and you feel "clicks" you probably have broken your nose. Sometimes the nose can be repositioned with minimal surgery if the fracture is treated before the bones heal.

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

ENT appt

I usually try to see patients within the first week so I can plan surgery within 2-3 weeks of the injury. I have successfully replaced fractures after 4 weeks however. Call the doctors office and be sincere asking for a sooner apppointment. If you are flexible you might get in on a cancelled appointment within a few days. Tell them to keep your number handy.

Ronald H. Stefani Jr, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Ideal Timing to Have Nasal Injury Treated

There are different opinions by many experts as to when is the right time to have a nose reset after injury, and no one answer is the only correct one. However, I would recommend that you try to get in for an initial evaluation within one week after the injury and then let your surgeon decide on the timing of repair, and if anything even needs to be done. One exception is if you have complete nasal blockage, which may be a sign of a septal hematoma, as this is an emergency... more

James Bartels, MD
Manchester Facial Plastic Surgeon

Evaluation after nasal injury

You should be seen much sooner than 3 weeks. The ideal window is between 3 and 10 days for the swelling to resolve and a closed reduction of your nasal bones to be performed. This will prevent you from having a more aggressive rhinoplasty in the future.

Richard Ellenbogen, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Appointment time after nasal injury

Hi Francie. Thank you for your question. This question comes up regularly. If the nose is broken and needs to be reduced (realigned) to minimize the deformity or crookedness, then that procedure is best performed before the nasal bones have healed in their new, potentially deviated position. Many surgeons prefer to perform such a reduction either within 24 hours after injury or between 6 and 10 days after injury. That way, the swelling that accompanies a nasal fracture will not obscure from... more

James M. Pearson, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Broken nose

Typically in the event of a displaced nasal fracture there is a 10-14 day window after injury during which the bones can be easily manipulated for a closed reduction. After that it may be more difficult and require something more invasive. Even though you may feel "clicks" if the nose does not appear displaced you may not require any treatment.

Michael L. Schwartz, MD
West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

www.palmbeachface.com

Time frame for broken nose

Ideally you should be seen and treated in no more than 7-10 days after a broken nose so that the mobile pieces, if shifted, can be reset before they heal in the incorrect position

Sam Naficy, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

3 weeks after trauma a good time for Rhinoplasty

After nasal trauma, with or without a nosebleed..the most important thing to do is have the inside (septum) examined using a light and nasal speculum. This is done to rule out a septal hematoma that if present can cause the septal cartilage to die within 24 hours with a saddle nose deformity months later due to septal dissolution and collapse. Since you do not have a significant decrease, nasal braething, it's unlikely that happened. The clicks and... more

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Video: Rhinoplasty for broken nose 3 weeks out can be too late

I would try to get in earlier. The bones start to set at 3 weeks and earlier. If it is less than a week, you can try to locally reduce the broken nose. This can be a difficult and painful way if done under local anesthesia, which I have done when I was at Los Angeles County Hospital. After 3 weeks the nose is more settled and you cant move it anymore. Then you will need a more formal rhinoplasty to fix or straighten it. Thanks for reading, Dr Youn more

Philip Young, MD
Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

When to be seen after a broken nose

I usually like to see patients 3-7 days after the injury. I like to see children before 5 days. The reason for this delay is to allow some of the swelling to go down, but is still soon enough that the bones have not "set" and can be positioned into place, if necessary. Waiting longer than this runs the risk of having the bones set and needing to re-fracture the nose to get the bones in proper position.

P. Daniel Ward, MD
Salt Lake City Facial Plastic Surgeon

Three weeks after nose injury is good.

Three weeks after nose injury is good since the initial swelling will be gone and the surgeon can see if there was a fracture. Without a nosebleed or bruising it is unlikely that the nose was broken.

Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Best time to fix a broken nose

The best time to straighten a broken nose is within the first 24 hours. After that, significant swelling will distort the appearance of the nose and then a few weeks later, some healing has started to occur making it more difficult to fix.

Adam Hamawy, MD
Westchester Plastic Surgeon

When should you be seen for a broken nose?

My recommendation is to be seen as soon as possible. Although you may be swollen, a good ENT should be able to determine whether it is necessary to do a procedure to reduce (straighten) the nasal bones. At three weeks, often it is difficult to move the bones back into position and there is going to be formation of a callous (new bone formation) that will adversely effect the outcome.