Did Lack of Cast on Nose Cause Bridge to Widen?

It mainly depends on how well the osteotomy was performed during the surgery.  It has little to do with the splint, eventhough the splint prevents the nasal bones from popping out with the swelling.  But if the nasal osteotomy was not complete the splint will not do much.

Hope that helps.

Patients who undergo a rhinoplasty often have the bridge of their nose narrowed as part of the procedure. Occasionally, the nasal bones can splay outward during the healing process or as a result of incomplete osteotomies at the time of the procedure. The splint itself will not prevent nasal bone widening. The main purpose of an external splint is to help with swelling and protect the bones for the first week from being banged or inadvertently moved. They do not anchor the bones in the new position. I hope this information helps.

Tape and splint may reduce swelling but cannot keep partially released bones together. Without an examination is is impossible to tell so we can only guess why your bridge is wider. IF the controlled side fractures of the nose were not complete, theoretically the bones could have been pushed in but with memory slowly returned to their old positions. If this is the vase the fractures would need to be redone.

It is very possible that the bones have "sprung" a bit back. Sometimes the fracture is not completely performed to "greenstick" the bones.  Sometimes the "greenstick" falls back away as the nose still appears wide.

If  the bridge has spread, the cast would not have prevented this, but only delayed the movement. If the nasal bones were not completely separated from the surrounding tissue during surgery,  this can occur.  Your surgeon can evaluate and revise, if necessary..

Hi,

It's possible that the bones swelled out and healed in a wider position. However, it doesn't look like the nasal bones were narrowed adequately.

Best,

Dr.S.