Dr. Serhan Derin, born in 1982, is a seasoned ENT specialist who graduated from Ankara University School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Kocaeli University in 2010. Dr. Derin is a highly skilled surgeon specializing in functional and cosmetic nose surgeries, including Primary Rhinoplasty, Revision Rhinoplasty, Ethnic Rhinoplasty, Septoplasty, Septorhinoplasty, Nasal Valve Surgery, and Sinus Surgery.
Health concerns are above anything when having cosmetic surgery procedures to change your facial features. That is why surgeons run many tests to make sure the patient’s safety during and after surgical procedures like rhinoplasty. What tests are needed before nose surgery? Let us explain because these tests reveal any hidden problem that can interfere with the operation.
The testing stage is rather an easy process that will most probably require you to give a blood sample and go through a series of procedures. If you do not possess any serious illness or have a contagious disease, you will have your surgery right away.
Not necessarily, but in some cases, based on your test results, surgeons ask patients to use certain medicines or vitamin supplements that can improve the immune system, here we explained them all. Let’s see what tests are needed before nose surgery and what are the benefits of these tests.
The complete list of tests for rhinoplasty
Before any rhinoplasty procedure, surgeons make an examination and ask for the medical history to learn the general health issues of their patient. To do that the most trustable data of blood analysis is inevitable before any rhinoplasty procedure.
Thanks to these tests, surgeons are able to prevent or take precautions before your nose job surgery. In addition to blood analysis, your plastic surgeon may ask for different tests depending on many factors. Here you can find the complete list of tests before nasal surgery:
- Complete blood count
- Blood type test
- Blood sugar test
- Kidney and liver function tests
- Allergy test (including anesthesia)
- Hepatitis test for C and B
- HIV test
- Chest X-ray and/or nose X-ray analysis
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Computerized tomography (CT)
- Nasal endoscopy
- Rhinomanometry
- Pregnancy test
- Psychological evaluation
The common tests listed here are performed for different purposes and they are not all necessary to perform before every rhinoplasty surgery and for every patient.
What tests are specifically required for my case?
If your surgeon thinks you are good to take the surgery without any additional tests other than a complete blood count they come up with a surgical plan and your surgery procedures begin until your surgery day. However, based on your blood test results, age, the type of surgery, and medical history the surgeon may ask for further tests and change the timeline of the operation.
For example, if you have any specific allergies, an allergy test can be done on a broader scale to prevent any complications you may have during the procedure.
So far, we covered what tests are needed before nose surgery in general. Now, we will go into detail here explaining the tests done in certain situations that may change from patient to patient.
If your blood test results are suspicious
If you have abnormal blood levels according to the lab test results, then the surgeon may ask for additional tests to see if you have any hidden disease or condition. For example, if your wound healing is not that fast you might have a coagulation problem.
A coagulation test is performed to understand if your blood clotting ability is working well, which is basically bleeding stopper ability. Sufficient blood clotting is vital during your operation and recovery period which can be interrupted by blood thinner medications, vitamin K deficiency, or a kidney disorder.
In addition to these blood tests, if you think you have not been tested for HIV, or hepatitis for a long time, let your surgeon know for everyone’s safety. When you are tested positive for these contagious diseases, you can still take the surgery after using the required medicines and with extra precautions in the operating room.
If you are rather elderly
As we get older our body’s defense mechanism may get weakened and the chances of having chronic diseases like diabetes or cardiovascular problems increase. That is why surgeons may ask for additional tests for elderly patients. These tests start with simple blood sugar level tests, ECG, and X-ray analyses.
If you are taking reconstruction nose surgery
For basic rhinoplasty operations to change your nose shape, facial plastic surgeons usually do not need to see your X-ray analyses of your nose or a CT scan. This can be done with endoscopic visualization, which is seeing through your nose with a tiny camera.
Rarely but, for functional evaluation surgeons also use a rhinomanometry device to evaluate the nasal function of the nose with a deep and careful examination.
Alas a CT scan may be required for a huge reconstruction rhinoplasty operation. In basic terms, if your nose is severely broken, injured, or deformed as a result of a disease surgeons may need a deeper look into your nose while reshaping it for breathing function and cosmetic reasons.
If you had previous surgeries
Facial plastic surgeries you had before may change your anatomy and in that case surgery techniques, the current medications you use, or the timeline of your surgery may change.
For instance, if you had a rhinoplasty operation before, this time, your surgeon will work around the changed place on your nose. This may require additional tests of X-ray and nasal endoscopy.
Other than that, if you had serious operations before concerning your overall health, it is beneficial for your surgeon to know about these. You may be asked to get additional blood tests or ECG tests. Especially if you had a blood clot in your body before let your plastic surgeon know.
If you have allergies
People who have several different allergies or asthma may be at risk of triggering their allergies to the products used in the surgery like latex. It is a rare situation but it is also possible to have an allergy to anesthesia as well. Doctors run allergy tests on patients who have several distinct allergies to make sure.
If you have doubts about pregnancy
A pregnancy test may be asked for women undergoing rhinoplasty surgery who are suspicious of having a baby or not. This is not the case for every woman obviously but if you think that you might be pregnant doing a test will help you schedule your rhinoplasty better.
If your motivation for surgery is temporary
Having a rhinoplasty changes your nose for good, that is why surgeons may also like to know their patient’s motivations for getting the rhinoplasty. Some people may feel oppressed by society and obsessed with the physical appearance they have and may be looking for rhinoplasty as a result of this.
If surgeons notice such an issue during the discussion, they recommend seeing a psychologist first and then having the surgery with a clear mind. Rhinoplasty is a surgery to change one’s nose shape for his or her own good regardless of what other people think.
References:
Karimi E, Mehdizadeh J, Bastaninejad S, Koohkan M. Integrated Internal Stabilization for Saddle Nose Surgery. Iran J Otorhinolaryngol. 2016;28(85):121-124. (link)
Nunns GR, Moore EE, Chapman MP, et al. The hypercoagulability paradox of chronic kidney disease: The role of fibrinogen. Am J Surg. 2017;214(6):1215-1218. doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2017.08.039
Tombu, Sophie & Daele, Jacques & Lefebvre, P. (2010). Rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry in rhinoplasty. B-ENT. 6 Suppl 15. 3-11.
