Patient satisfaction after conservative treatment of anterior wall frontal sinus fractures

Abstract

This study aims to determine patient forehead aesthetics satisfaction after conservative treatment of non-dislocated and dislocated anterior wall frontal sinus fractures.

Prospectively, patients older than 15 years of age with a frontal sinus fracture, treated conservatively between the period of 2010–2020, were analysed. The Face-Q questionnaire was used to assess patient satisfaction, and the fracture dimensional properties were measured using computed tomography. The results were compared with a matched non-fractured control group.

The mean total Face-Q questionnaire score was 114.77 (SD = 17.38) versus 114.23 (SD = 15.23) (research-versus control group, respectively), with a mean difference of 0.55 (SD = 4.85), which was not significant (p = 0.91). The size of impression area did not appear to have a linear relationship with patient satisfaction within the entire population (p = 0.87; r = 0.00). Presence of a scar in the fracture site was a significant predictor of patient satisfaction, contributing to 31% of the entire population's overall score (p = 0.01) and 57% in the dislocated fracture population (p = 0.003).

The conservatively treated patients’ satisfaction score was comparable to the control group. A higher satisfaction score after a conservative treatment is associated with the absence of a scar on the fracture site, even with dislocations up to 6 mm at the deepest impression point.