title: Aesthetic outcome of transfacial sinus surgery: the patient's view.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the patient's view of the cosmetic outcome of transfacial sinus surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective survey of patients after transfacial sinus surgery in a tertiary referral academic otolaryngology department.
  
  
  METHODS
  Academic outpatient clinic of otorhinolaryngology. Patients Seventy patients (52 men, 18 women; mean +/- SD age, 56.2 +/- 14.9 years) who had undergone transfacial sinus surgery more than 4 months prior to study entry.
  
  
  METHODS
  Standardized patient self-assessment for postoperative alteration of facial appearance and emotional impairment and standardized observer assessment by surgeons and laypersons by means of visual analogue scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-nine percent of the patients rated their appearance unaltered or minimally altered after transfacial surgery, and 91% reported no or minimal cosmetic morbidity. Postoperative cosmetic morbidity was significantly more common in women, in patients with chronic disease, and in those operated on for trauma. The surgeons' assessment was significantly correlated with the patients' self-assessment of altered appearance, but not with the patients' emotional impairment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consideration of these risk factors may help to further improve patient selection for, and patients' satisfaction with, transfacial sinus surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany. alberty.hno@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: Juergen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alberty
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rudack
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stoll
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004954:Esthetics; D005145:Face / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000601:surgery*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D010781:Photography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012647:Self-Assessment