Question:
How can you help me decide which nose shape is the best fit for my face?
Answer:
After I have met with you, discussed your concerns, and examined you (and your nose), we undertake computer imaging. Computer imaging is a very helpful way to communicate surgical goals. The patient understands that computer imaging is a video game – it is not a guarantee, but it is a way to find our shared goal. It is important for me to know what the patient wants to accomplish, and the patient must know what the surgeon envisions as a goal for the surgical result. Computer imaging is extremely useful to communicate this information, and we therefore perform computer imaging on virtually all patients prior to surgery.
With computer imaging, I work with the patient to generate an imaging result that is the goal for surgery, and I want to be sure that the patient agrees to the goal. The patient understands that this is not a guarantee, but that this is our shared goal.