Piezo rhinoplasty is simply the technical name for ultrasonic rhinoplasty.
This is a new form of rhinoplasty that avoids the hammer and chisel technique to reshape the nasal bones. It provides greater sensitivity and reduces unwanted trauma and soft tissue damage that can occur with traditional rhinoplasty techniques.
This rhinoplasty method avoids instrumentation, relatively coarse hammers and chisels. Instead, a piezotome is used to reshape and shrink the nasal bones. Piezotome is a special instrument that transmits ultrasonic energy to the bone without damaging the surrounding soft tissue.
Since the energy is specially transmitted to the bone, no secondary damage occurs, which means that soft tissue swelling and bruising are reduced. The piezotome device comes with a variety of attachments shaped like sculptural tools used to reshape bone.
This is a gentler technique that provides greater precision to the surgeon. There is less swelling and bruising, and some patients notice almost no bruising.
The hammer and chisel technique can cause some fragmentation of the bone and inadvertent fractures. The piezotome also allows the bone to be shaped in a way that is not possible even with fine rasps. In some cases, even breaking the nasal bones can be prevented.
The technique also conforms to the modern trend of conservative rhinoplasty, a philosophy so common in old-fashioned techniques that remodeling rather than destroying tissue during rhinoplasty.
The piezotome can be used to reshape bone without breaking it, or it can be used to protect the bridge of the nose.
