Otoplasty & Rhinoplasty Done Together. Pros and Cons?

Question

Hello Doctors! Firstly I just want to thank you for taking the time to read my concern and address it. I am a 17 year old male ( 18 in august ) who is undergoing both of these procedures in September, shortly after my birthday. I want to do them both at once. Are their any increased risks associated with this choice? Are their any increased benefits? Anything else noteworthy you wish to add is also greatly appreciated. Again, thank you very much!

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

It makes a lot of sense to have both surgeries done at the same time as the recovery is simultaneous and not sequential. That is only one recovery time for both. The overall fees will also be less as there is one recovery and anesthesia cost less than 2 events.

	The risks should be approximately the same whether doing the procedure at the same time or separately.

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

In short, the answer is yes. If you know you want to have both procedures done, it is better to have one recovery than two. There is no contraindication to have an otoplasty and rhinoplasty performed at the same time. The trick is to find a qualified surgeon who can do both at a high level.

Andrew Miller, MD · Answer

Otoplasty and Rhinoplasty are very common procedures. Having Rhinoplasty and Otoplasty done at the same time is not uncommon and can be beneficial. You would only have to undergo anesthesia once as well as have only one recovery period. There is not really any interaction of the two procedures so the recovery time should not be any longer because you are doing two procedures at once. Also, you may have some decrease in cost because the operating room is only being used once.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

Rhinoplasty and otoplasty can certainly be done at the same time.The advantages are that you will only have one recovery period and you may save money on anesthesia and the facility fee when done at the same time. There is really no down side of performing both procedures at once as long as your surgeon agrees.

Thomas A. Lamperti, MD · Answer

For an otherwise healthy person, combining otoplasty with rhinoplasty makes a lot of sense. It gives you just one recovery period and it would likely save money as well.

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

First and most importantly...Happy Birthday!  It is common and safe practice to operate on the nose and the ear at the same time.  Many times during a revision rhinoplasty, ear cartilage will be harvested at the same time reconstruct the nose.  One precaution that is important for the surgeon to do is to either:

	1)  Complete the otoplasty first

	2)  Use separate instrument when doing the 2 procedures.

	 

	You do not want instruments that have been in you nose to working on your ear.  If that occurred, your ear would have an increased risk of infection. (Bacteria from nose getting in ear incision) 

	 

	As far as other advantages

	1)  Less downtime

	2)  Less expensive

	3)  More comfortable than doing 2 separate procedures

	 

	Good luck and I hope this helps!

William Portuese, MD · Answer

Otoplasty and rhinoplasty is an acceptable combination to perform at the same time. We have performed that combination many times in our practice and patients do just fine. By combining the two procedures, there is only one anesthesia and one recovery time. After the otoplasty procedure patients do express difficulty sleeping because both ears are throbbing. With the rhinoplasty procedure patients are somewhat congested in the nose and uncomfortable from that.

Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS · Answer

Rhinoplasty and Otoplasty are frequently combined. The only time to pause is if the nose surgery is a complex reconstruction that may entail significant time under anesthesia. Usual precautions involving cross contamination need to be taken.

Richard W. Fleming, MD (retired) · Answer

It is best to do both procedures at the same time because you'll have one operation, one anesthetic, and one recovery. There is no disadvantage other than your parents having to write a bigger check on the day of surgery, even though you'll save money compared to doing the procedures at different times.

Richard Ellenbogen, MD (retired) · Answer

Of course they can be done at the same time . No cons. I did my sons nose and ears at the same time

Otoplasty & Rhinoplasty Done Together. Pros and Cons?

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