Predictability of the computer imaging system in primary rhinoplasty.

One hundred consecutive cases of primary rhinoplasty were planned with a computer imaging system. All the preoperative and one-year postoperative profile pictures were discussed with the patients. Not one patient complained that the planned result was not achieved, and all patients considered the postoperative picture identical to the planned preoperative screen picture. To analyze the results better, a comparison between computer screen and postoperative profile lines was made. Two orthographic negatives were made: one of the picture from the computer screen, the other from the slide one year after rhinoplasty. The negatives are of the same proportions, i.e., the distance between eye and mouth is the same. The negatives were converted into line drawings using a photographic process called solarization. The two resulting lines were superimposed to produce the final picture. The differences in position of other features of the face are due to different positions of mouth, head, hair, and expression or slide changes in the camera angle. Using a computer to plan rhinoplasty allows the surgeon to eliminate patients with unrealistic expectations, to analyze the patients' wishes better, and to plan the operation more accurately.