Journal of

Introduction: Postoperative periorbital edema and ecchymosis is one of the main complication of rhinoplasty. This complication is mostly due to lateral osteotomy. During performing the endonasal lateral osteotomy, with the goal of reducing injury to surrounding tissues and reducing the postoperative edema and ecchymosis. The aim of this study goal was to determine whether creating a subperiosteal tunnel before lateral osteotomy had an effect on postoperative periorbital edema and ecchymosis.

Methods: 102 patients were included in the study. They were underwent rhinoplasty. In each patients lateral osteotomies were carried out bilaterally, after creating a subperiosteal tunnel with periosteum elevator on a randomly chosen side and without creating a subperiosteal tunnel on the other side. The rest of the procedure was similar bilaterally. The patients were examined on the 2^nd and 7^th days after surgery. The levels of edema and periorbital ecchymosis were score by a different surgery who was unaware of the side with the periosteal tunnel, and the results were compared together.

Results: According to the data analysis, there was no statistically significant difference between the severity of periorbital edema at the side with subperiosteal tunnel and the side without it on the 2^nd and 7^th days after surgery (P value=0/096 and Pvalue=0/252, respectively). There was not found any statistical significant between periorbital ecchymosis at the side with subperiosteal tunnel and the side without it on the 2^nd and 7^th days after surgery (P value=0/783 and Pvalue=0/094, respectively).

Conclusions: Creating a subperiostal tunnel before lateral osteotomy in rhinoplasty does not influence on the severity of postoperative edema and ecchymosis.