Risk Factors Associated with Complications in Rhinoplasty Using Polydioxanone Plates

Objective: Polydioxanone (PDS) plates are utilized in septorhinoplasty to reconstruct the nasal septum. Our goal was to analyze factors affecting short- and long-term complications in patients undergoing septorhinoplasty using PDS plates with a particular focus on smoking and diabetes. Methods: This is a retrospective review of patients undergoing septorhinoplasty with PDS plates analyzing risk factors and outcomes. Early complications included infection, hematoma, extrusion, and septal thickening. Late complications included septal perforation, obstruction, revision, and infection. Complication rate was assessed as a function of demographics, diabetes, smoking, autoimmune disease, cancer, and trauma. Multivariate analyses assessed the contributions of these variables, and Chi-square analyses specifically addressed smoking and diabetes. Results: A total of 119 patients were included. In multivariate analysis, current smoking had a large negative effect on late outcomes (OR 2.00, 95% CI 0.59–6.55), while diabetes did not show any significant difference. Targeted Chi-squared analysis showed a statistically significant effect of current smoking on increased early complications (OR 3.65, 95% CI 1.67–7.63) and a large but not statistically significant increase in long-term complications (OR 4.20, 95% CI 0.72–22.74). In both models, diabetes was not shown to have an effect on early or late complications. Conclusion: Current smokers undergoing septorhinoplasty with a PDS plate showed a statistically significant association with early complications and large but not statistically significant association with late complications. Diabetic patients were not found to have an increased complication risk. Level of Evidence IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .