A Small Piece of Metal Discovered in my Nose 2 Years After Rhinoplasty in a Dental Xray. Is This Normal?

You may get more information from the RealSelf experts if you re ask your question with a photo of the x-ray. Metallic foreign bodies may be recognizable by their appearance. You may also wish to show your x-ray to your rhinoplasty surgeon for clarification.

Hope this helps you.

Dr. Joseph

Retained foreign bodies following rhinoplasty are rare. Although a foreign body may have been left in your nose unintentionally, more likely is that it is part of an anchor or implant. Either way, if it is a very small piece it is unlikely to cause a real problem.

  Assuming the metal was placed at the time of rhinoplasty, this may have been used to anchor a cartilage graft to the anterior nasal spine.  Methods vary widely across the US and throughout the world, and it can be hard to speculate about what purpose this served or serves. Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA