POSTED UNDER Rhinoplasty REVIEWS
Very disappointed - he placed spreader grafts without my consent
ORIGINAL POST
VERY Disappointment in my Choice of Dr. Grigoryants
Los2017April 24, 2018
$10,500
After much thought and careful consideration, I have decided to post this review as I continue to feel extremely unhappy about the outcome of my primary rhinoplasty by Dr. Grigoryants on 08/16/17. Also, the feedback I have received from my surgeon to date is conflicting, misleading and/or not truthful. I accepted the terms to be ONLY exactly as we discussed, and we reiterated that plan immediately prior to the surgery. The plan was not delivered as discussed. There were many things done without my consent; below are the ones about which I am MOST concerned.
My goal was to achieve 2 very minor improvements. The first one was to deproject my nose VERY conservatively by 1-2 mm which, according to Dr. Grigoryants, would lead to a widening of my nostrils (which he planned to compensate for by bringing my nostrils in by 1 mm at most bilaterally) and to shave off the small dorsal hump. He also pointed out that the right side of my tip was mildly larger than the left (which I had never even noticed prior to my consult with him). This can be seen in some of the preoperative pictures. He stated he could make it "match" my left side, to which I agreed to since I did like my left side. I made it very clear I did NOT want my front view to change as I always have been very happy with the front view, to which he responded "Oh we are not going to change your front view.” My ONLY concern was the side profile.
I have to say I strongly regret choosing Dr. Grigoryants as my surgeon. I believe that in right hands I would have easily achieved the above mentioned goals with great results. To my dismay, I continue to believe Dr. Grigoryants performed multiple unneeded procedures that we did NOT discuss, leaving me with very unsatisfactory results by supposedly one of the "top rhinoplasty surgeons in the world.”
First, we did NOT discuss in any context whatsoever that he regularly (in my understanding) places spreader grafts in order to remove the dorsal hump leading to a WIDENING of the bridge in many cases. I did NOT CONSENT to this procedure. In his "Informed Consent" ( see copy) it reads "cartilage grafts, known as spreader grafts, MAY need to be used to keep the septum in a straight position". Yes, I agree.. a lot of things MAY happen during the surgery. I MAY go into a cardiac arrest and die although this is very unlikely in my case based upon my medical history. Hence I understand we don't talk about this possibility in detail prior to surgery (unless it is pertinent because of the patient's prior medical history). However, it is my belief that Dr. Grigoryants routinely uses spreader grafts when taking down the dorsal hump, and the LIKELIHOOD is HIGH when spreader grafts are added that the bridge will end up looking like an rectangular, lego-like, masculine block. Whether this is due to actual physical widening or due to an illusion (due to a new flat bridge vs prior sharp triangular shape) is irrelevant. The best rhinoplasty surgeon can take advantage of the phenomenon of illusion and a poor one can choose to ignore it. Whether the bridge actually is physically wider or not, does not really matter. What matters is that it LOOKS wider. In my case I had 2 x 1.5 mm wide spreader grafts placed leading my nose to look like it is massively widened. He SHOULD have discussed with me that the likelyhood we were going to place spreader grafts was extremely high, and given me the opportunity to opt out.
Furthermore, what is missing from the consent is the information regarding what percentage of the time he places in spreader grafts with the reduction of the dorsal hump (which I believe to be pretty high but I could be wrong) AND that this will likely lead to a WIDENING of the dorsum. There is a difference if it is a random event vs.if this is done in the majority of the cases.
Secondly, now that the time has passed and swelling is resolving I am starting to develop a pinched tip. I know this will only get worse with time and I will need a revision to correct this. It is unclear to me why my tip is increasingly becoming pinched. I am yet to find out what exactly was done during the surgery.
Thirdly, the right side of my tip, which he stated was larger than the left, was reduced in addition to the LEFT side. Now my tip is way too narrow altogether. I NEVER agreed to reduce my left side and I never asked to make my tip smaller, but to match my R side to the left. Dr. Grigoryants stated in his email on 04/17/18 that "only 2 mm of tip cartilage was trimmed on the right and 1.5 mm on the left to make the tip even.” I replied to him that then it should have naturally followed that you would remove 0.5 mm on the RIGHT only and NOT 2 mm on the right AND 1.5 mm on the left. His reply on 04/19/18 was " trimming 0.5 mm is nearly impossible.” AGAIN, an issue that would have been more appropriate to discuss PRE-surgery.
Now to be fair I also wanted to post what I do like about the nose. I do like the side view, however NOT at the expense of my front view. Maybe some day the bridge will narrow to the presurgery width, and overcomes the laws of physics. But until then I am yet to take a good selfie, without "the fish eye effect", as Dr. Grigoryants put it, which curiously enough was never an issue PREsurgery and using the same camera.
As I said, there are other things I feel were also done that I did not agree with, that are beyond the scope of this review (could be due to the healing process etc.) and I am not going to discuss them in depth as they are not as concerning to me. I am planning to get a revision to remove the spreader grafts, if possible, and to add cartilage to the tip to reconstruct the pinched tip.
I feel that this surgery, many parts of which I did not consent to, has been inaccurately represented to to date. Dr. Grigoryants and I do not see eye to eye as he stated: “I really do not see what I would have done differently.” My professional recommendation (at minimum) is to start with the informed consent and to educate the patients about the spreader grafts and that they OFTEN lead to a widening of the dorsum. Also I would recommend not do place them in patients unnecessarily, and WITHOUT consent as was done in my case. There was nothing wrong with the width or shape of my previous delicate feminine bridge. There was no need to place spreader grafts. I did not need them. Just as in heart procedures, patients do not receive a stent without them absolutely needing it, and you definitely don't do it without discussing it first.
I strongly feel I am wasting my time communicating with Dr. Grigoryants and that the chance of me having a rational conversation with him is tenuous at best. I would appreciate to get honest feedback from this forum as I said, I do not do this lightly. I'm not the type to post negative reviews unless I really perceive wrongoing and gross neligence/malpractice. I greatly appreciate everyone of your inputs.
Thank you
My goal was to achieve 2 very minor improvements. The first one was to deproject my nose VERY conservatively by 1-2 mm which, according to Dr. Grigoryants, would lead to a widening of my nostrils (which he planned to compensate for by bringing my nostrils in by 1 mm at most bilaterally) and to shave off the small dorsal hump. He also pointed out that the right side of my tip was mildly larger than the left (which I had never even noticed prior to my consult with him). This can be seen in some of the preoperative pictures. He stated he could make it "match" my left side, to which I agreed to since I did like my left side. I made it very clear I did NOT want my front view to change as I always have been very happy with the front view, to which he responded "Oh we are not going to change your front view.” My ONLY concern was the side profile.
I have to say I strongly regret choosing Dr. Grigoryants as my surgeon. I believe that in right hands I would have easily achieved the above mentioned goals with great results. To my dismay, I continue to believe Dr. Grigoryants performed multiple unneeded procedures that we did NOT discuss, leaving me with very unsatisfactory results by supposedly one of the "top rhinoplasty surgeons in the world.”
First, we did NOT discuss in any context whatsoever that he regularly (in my understanding) places spreader grafts in order to remove the dorsal hump leading to a WIDENING of the bridge in many cases. I did NOT CONSENT to this procedure. In his "Informed Consent" ( see copy) it reads "cartilage grafts, known as spreader grafts, MAY need to be used to keep the septum in a straight position". Yes, I agree.. a lot of things MAY happen during the surgery. I MAY go into a cardiac arrest and die although this is very unlikely in my case based upon my medical history. Hence I understand we don't talk about this possibility in detail prior to surgery (unless it is pertinent because of the patient's prior medical history). However, it is my belief that Dr. Grigoryants routinely uses spreader grafts when taking down the dorsal hump, and the LIKELIHOOD is HIGH when spreader grafts are added that the bridge will end up looking like an rectangular, lego-like, masculine block. Whether this is due to actual physical widening or due to an illusion (due to a new flat bridge vs prior sharp triangular shape) is irrelevant. The best rhinoplasty surgeon can take advantage of the phenomenon of illusion and a poor one can choose to ignore it. Whether the bridge actually is physically wider or not, does not really matter. What matters is that it LOOKS wider. In my case I had 2 x 1.5 mm wide spreader grafts placed leading my nose to look like it is massively widened. He SHOULD have discussed with me that the likelyhood we were going to place spreader grafts was extremely high, and given me the opportunity to opt out.
Furthermore, what is missing from the consent is the information regarding what percentage of the time he places in spreader grafts with the reduction of the dorsal hump (which I believe to be pretty high but I could be wrong) AND that this will likely lead to a WIDENING of the dorsum. There is a difference if it is a random event vs.if this is done in the majority of the cases.
Secondly, now that the time has passed and swelling is resolving I am starting to develop a pinched tip. I know this will only get worse with time and I will need a revision to correct this. It is unclear to me why my tip is increasingly becoming pinched. I am yet to find out what exactly was done during the surgery.
Thirdly, the right side of my tip, which he stated was larger than the left, was reduced in addition to the LEFT side. Now my tip is way too narrow altogether. I NEVER agreed to reduce my left side and I never asked to make my tip smaller, but to match my R side to the left. Dr. Grigoryants stated in his email on 04/17/18 that "only 2 mm of tip cartilage was trimmed on the right and 1.5 mm on the left to make the tip even.” I replied to him that then it should have naturally followed that you would remove 0.5 mm on the RIGHT only and NOT 2 mm on the right AND 1.5 mm on the left. His reply on 04/19/18 was " trimming 0.5 mm is nearly impossible.” AGAIN, an issue that would have been more appropriate to discuss PRE-surgery.
Now to be fair I also wanted to post what I do like about the nose. I do like the side view, however NOT at the expense of my front view. Maybe some day the bridge will narrow to the presurgery width, and overcomes the laws of physics. But until then I am yet to take a good selfie, without "the fish eye effect", as Dr. Grigoryants put it, which curiously enough was never an issue PREsurgery and using the same camera.
As I said, there are other things I feel were also done that I did not agree with, that are beyond the scope of this review (could be due to the healing process etc.) and I am not going to discuss them in depth as they are not as concerning to me. I am planning to get a revision to remove the spreader grafts, if possible, and to add cartilage to the tip to reconstruct the pinched tip.
I feel that this surgery, many parts of which I did not consent to, has been inaccurately represented to to date. Dr. Grigoryants and I do not see eye to eye as he stated: “I really do not see what I would have done differently.” My professional recommendation (at minimum) is to start with the informed consent and to educate the patients about the spreader grafts and that they OFTEN lead to a widening of the dorsum. Also I would recommend not do place them in patients unnecessarily, and WITHOUT consent as was done in my case. There was nothing wrong with the width or shape of my previous delicate feminine bridge. There was no need to place spreader grafts. I did not need them. Just as in heart procedures, patients do not receive a stent without them absolutely needing it, and you definitely don't do it without discussing it first.
I strongly feel I am wasting my time communicating with Dr. Grigoryants and that the chance of me having a rational conversation with him is tenuous at best. I would appreciate to get honest feedback from this forum as I said, I do not do this lightly. I'm not the type to post negative reviews unless I really perceive wrongoing and gross neligence/malpractice. I greatly appreciate everyone of your inputs.
Thank you
UPDATED FROM Los2017
1 year post
My biggest fears confirmed!
Los2017August 1, 2018
Last month I saw a well-known rhinoplasty surgeon, who also specializes in otolaryngology. I was ~11 months post op. He CONFIRMED the diagnosis of a pinched tip. He stated that my nose collapses "prematurely" leading to decreased airflow and causing me to "mouthbreath" at night. I have developed "a clicking noise" during sleep, the cause of which is still undetermined. According to this doctor, the constricted airflow will eventually likely lead to cardiovascular distress, obesity and OSA unless treated and a secondary rhinoplasty at this point is a MEDICAL NECESSITY and not cosmetic in nature.
I am yet to find out what exactly was done to my nose during the surgery. It was also sadly confirmed, that ALL of my usable precious septal cartilage was removed during the primary surgery. This was totally unnecessary and largely unheard of during a primary rhinoplasty, with someone as minor issues as what I presented with originally. I will NEED A RIB GRAFT to rebuild the nose. Additionally, Dr. Grigoryants performed unnecessary osteotomies (breaking/removal of the bones) and shifted the base of my nasal structure inwards leading to the "boxy lego-block look". The extent of the damage cannot be completely verified until a secondary rhinoplasty is performed and the nose is physically reopened.
I am yet to find out what exactly was done to my nose during the surgery. It was also sadly confirmed, that ALL of my usable precious septal cartilage was removed during the primary surgery. This was totally unnecessary and largely unheard of during a primary rhinoplasty, with someone as minor issues as what I presented with originally. I will NEED A RIB GRAFT to rebuild the nose. Additionally, Dr. Grigoryants performed unnecessary osteotomies (breaking/removal of the bones) and shifted the base of my nasal structure inwards leading to the "boxy lego-block look". The extent of the damage cannot be completely verified until a secondary rhinoplasty is performed and the nose is physically reopened.
Replies (8)
August 1, 2018
I HAVE the pinched look on the rima as well & it looks darker like if too much tissue was removed from our noses. These doctors must be selling our things. It’s too much
August 1, 2018
Well I know for a fact that too much was removed from mine. All of the usable septal cartilage is gone. There is none left for a revision. Dr. Grigoryants used my septal cartilage to make 3.4 cm LONG x 1.5 mm spreader grafts against my consent. Despicable!
October 16, 2020
I think if something aggressive like removing all of your septal cartilage is going to be performed it needs to be discussed before surgery. These surgeons just put us to sleep and have a field day on our face. The laws on this desperately need to change to protect patients. My surgeon did something similar and removed all of mine for literally no reason other than to do massive llc strut grafts that he never told me he was going to do before surgery. I never had a deviated septum before or any breathing issues now my nose is such a mess
January 10, 2019
:( Please use breathe right strips and a nose dilator at night for sleeping! this is what I am currently doing until I can get a revision.
Replies (4)
August 27, 2018
Dr. Grigoryants and I communicated mainly via an app called Virtru. This online tool allows him to retract communication through emails, and to my dismay this is what occurred. By him using this feature it makes it difficult to save email correspondence, however thankfully I took screenshots of all/most of our communication.
November 1, 2018
Wow! That is truly awful. The fact that he even has that feature should be a major red flag to potential patients.
Replies (55)
If doctors botje a patient and dont refund, they need to be sued before the statue of limitations run out at 1 year post op.