The Usefulness of High-Frequency Ultrasound in Assessing Complications After Minimally Invasive Aesthetic Medicine Procedures, Using the Example of Assessing Blood Flow in the Dorsal Artery of the Nose

TL;DR

High-frequency ultrasound helps detect complications after non-surgical nose treatments by showing blood flow issues and foreign material placement.

Contribution

The study demonstrates HFUS as a reliable, non-invasive tool for diagnosing complications in aesthetic procedures.

Findings

HFUS revealed HA deposits and PDO threads near the dorsal artery of the nose.

Doppler ultrasound showed blood flow disturbances likely caused by thread compression.

HFUS is safe, non-invasive, and effective for diagnosing post-procedure complications.

Abstract

In recent years, there has been rapid growth in aesthetic medicine and an increase in the number of minimally invasive procedures aimed at improving appearance. With the increasing number of procedures performed, the incidence of post-operative complications is also rising, and high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) is increasingly being used to assess these complications. The article presents the case of a 52-year-old woman who reported for an HFUS examination several months after non-surgical nose correction with hyaluronic acid (HA) and implantation of polydioxanone (PDO) lifting threads. The patient experienced post-treatment complications in the form of erythema, oedema and pain, followed by blanching and bruising of the skin. Hyaluronidase and prednisone were used for treatment. Four months after the procedure, the patient returned for another HFUS examination because, despite the disappearance of most symptoms, uneven purple-blue discoloration of the skin on the nose and a subjective feeling of cold persisted. At the time of the HFUS examination, the discoloration was barely visible. The grey-scale HFUS examination revealed foci corresponding to HA deposits and PDO threads located in close proximity to the dorsal artery of the nose. A Doppler examination revealed blood flow disturbances in this artery, which may indicate compression by the threads and be the likely cause of the patient’s complaints. High-frequency ultrasound has proven to be a useful diagnostic method for assessing such complications. Due to its safety, non-invasiveness and high reliability, HFUS has the potential to become a common diagnostic tool in aesthetic medicine practice.

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