Pediatric septorhinoplasty: Current attitudes and practices by facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons

Objective: There is hesitation to offer pediatric patients rhinoplasty due to concerns about postoperative effect on midface growth. A cross-sectional survey of members of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Recon-structive Surgery was conducted regarding practice information and attitudes towards pediatric septo-rhinoplasty. The goal of the study is to describe the current attitudes on pediatric septorhinoplasty.Study design: Cross-sectional survey.Setting: Community members of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery society.Methods: A 19-question survey was distributed to surgeons surveying background information and current at-titudes towards pediatric septorhinoplasty practices. Fisher's exact tests were implemented using Monte Carlo methods.Results: There were 94 total respondents. A majority believed septorhinoplasty is safe in patients <16 years of age (n = 68, 72.34 %) with most choosing either 16 years (n = 30, 31.91 %) or 14 years (n = 29, 30.85 %) as the minimum age to consider the procedure. A majority of respondents would not perform any nasal procedures in patients <= 12 years (n = 40, 43.48 %).Conclusion: Trends in pediatric rhinoplasty practices have evolved overtime. Despite prior beliefs and studies cautioning against performing septorhinoplasty in pediatric patients (<16 years of age), a majority of practicing facial plastic surgeons believe that pediatric septorhinoplasty can be performed in patients >14 years old. Level of evidence. IV.