ARCHIVED

Medical Policy

Policy Num:       07.001.132
Policy Name:     RHINOPLASTY
Policy ID:          [07.001.132][Ac L M+ P+ ][0.00.00]

Last Review:       November 10, 2021
Next Review:      N/A
Issue:                   November, 2021

Archived

Related Policies:   07.001.089 Septoplasty

RHINOPLASTY

Summary

Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty is a procedure to correct congenital anatomical deformities acquired in the nostrils.

Objective

This objective of this evidence review is to evaluate evidence for treatment to improve function and overall wellbeing in selected patient with rhinoplasty.

Policy Statements

Rhinoplasty 

Rhinoplasty may be considered for payment only in the following limited situations:

•    When it is being performed to correct a nasal deformity secondary to congenital cleft lip and or palate: 

o    Upon individual case review, to correct chronic non-septal nasal airway obstruction from vestibular stenosis (collapsed internal valves) due to trauma, disease, or congenital defect, when all of the following criteria are met:

•    Obstruction of nasal breathing in a persistent and prolonged way; and
•    Physical examination confirming vestibule obstruction from moderate - severe; and
•    Airways obstruction will not respond to Septoplasty and tubinectomy only; and
•    Blockage of the nasal passages were causing significant symptoms (e.g., chronic rhinosinusitis, breathing difficulty); and
•    Persistent symptoms of obstruction before a conservative management for 3 months or more, including, when appropriate, the use of steroids or immunotherapy; and
•    Photos showing an external nasal deformity; and
•    Obstruction on average is 50% or more (e.g., 50% obstruction in both nostrils, or 75% blockage in one nostril and 25% obstruction in the other, or 100% blockage in one nostril), documented by nasal endoscopy, computerized tomography or other imaging modality appropriate for this purpose.
•    When the rhinoplasty for nasal obstruction is carried out as an integral part of a medically necessary Septoplasty, and there is documentation regarding nasal obstruction on the same side of the septal deviation.

Triple-S Salud considers rhinoplasty cosmetic and not covered for payment for any other indication not included in this policy.

Triple-S Salud does not consider for payment the suspension of nasal valve for the repair of nasal valve collapse.

Policy Guidelines

Documentation of these criteria should include:

• Documentation of duration and degree of symptoms related to nasal obstruction, such as chronic rhinosinusitis, mouth breathing, etc.; and
• Documentation of results of conservative management of symptoms; and
• If there is an external nasal deformity, pre-operative photographs showing the standard 4-way view: anterior-posterior, right and left lateral views, and base of nose (also known as worm's eye view confirming vestibular stenosis; this view is from the bottom of nasal septum pointing upwards); and
• Relevant history of accidental or surgical trauma, congenital defect, or disease (e.g., Wegener’s granulomatosis, choanal atresia, nasal malignancy, abscess, septal infection with saddle deformity, or congenital deformity); and
• Results of nasal endoscopy, CT or other appropriate imaging modality documenting degree of nasal obstruction.

Benefit Application

As described in the member's policy.

Background

Reconstructive rhinoplasty is surgery of the nose to correct an external nasal deformity, damaged nasal structures or to replace lost tissue, while maintaining or improving the physiological function of the nose.

Cosmetic rhinoplasty and/or septoplasty are performed solely to enhance appearance.

Nasal septoplasty is a procedure to correct anatomic deformity or deviation of the nasal septum.  Its purpose is to restore the structure facilitating proper nasal function.  Cosmetic enhancement, if any, is incidental.  Because the septum is deviated in most adults, the potential exists for over-utilization of septoplasty in asymptomatic individuals.  The primary indication for surgical treatment of a deviated septum is nasal airway obstruction.  Corrective surgery also is done to treat recurrent epistaxis associated with the septal deviation or sinusitis in which the deviation has a contributory role, and, occasionally, is necessary to gain access to another region such as the sphenoid, sella turcica or pituitary gland.  In addition, septoplasty may be performed in response to an injury (nasal trauma) or in conjunction with cleft palate repair.  

The nose is essentially a respiratory organ that provides a passageway for incoming and outgoing air.  The internal nose is comprised of 2 nasal cavities (nostrils) through which air enters and passes posteriorly to the nasopharynx; it is separated in the middle by the septum which is composed of cartilage, anteriorly and bone, posteriorly.  The nasal cavity is an irregularly shaped space extending from the bony palate that separates the nose and mouth cavities upward to the frontal ethmoid and sphenoid bones of the cranial cavity.  Each nasal cavity is divided into 3 passageways (the superior, middle and inferior meati) by the projection of the 4 nasal turbinates (inferior, middle, superior and supreme) from the lateral walls of the internal nose.  The inferior turbinate is a separate bone, while the other 3 are part of the ethmoid bone.  The turbinates greatly increase the surface area of the mucous membrane over which air travels as it passes through the nasal passages and into the nasopharynx, serving to improve humidification of inspired air.

The vestibule of the nostril is lined with skin containing nasal hairs and some sebaceous and sweat glands.  The nose is lined with respiratory mucosa except for the skin in the vestibule and the olfactory epithelium.  Mucus secreted by the mucosa is carried back to the nasopharynx by the cilia of the mucosa.  The nasal mucosa is extremely vascular, which makes it appear redder than the oral mucosa.

The blood supply to the nose is from the external and internal carotid arteries.  One of the terminal divisions of the external carotid artery, the internal maxillary artery and its terminal branch, the sphenopalatine artery, supply blood to most of the posterior nasal septum and lateral wall of the nose.  Blood is supplied to the anterior superior part of the septum and lateral wall by the internal carotid system which includes the anterior ethmoid artery.

A number of techniques can be used to straighten and thin a displaced or deviated septum.  In the most common procedure, an incision is made through the mucosa and perichondrium (on 1 side) just behind the mucocutaneous junction.  The mucoperichondrium and the mucoperiosteum are elevated on that side.  The cartilage is then cut through at the site of the original incision.  Similar mucoperichondrial and periosteal flaps are elevated on the opposite side until the septal cartilage and bones are freed of all soft tissue attachments.  The obstructing pieces of cartilage or bone or both are removed or placed in a better position by reshaping through marsupialization.

In one approach, submucous resection, almost all the framework of the septum, except a strut at the top and in the front (caudal and dorsal struts), is removed.  In other techniques, an effort is made to excise as little cartilage and bone as possible.  The obstruction is corrected by shaving off the thickened cartilage and braking its spring, leaving the septum thinned and straightened.  When the inferior edge of the cartilage is dislocated and appears in one vestibule rather than in the midline, an incision through the entire membranous collumella just in front of the cartilage affords an end-on view of the free edge of the cartilage.

The potential complications of septoplasty include septal perforation; failure to completely improve breathing due to swollen membranes as is seen in allergic patients; post-operative bleeding; nasal crusting; and re-obstruction due to improper healing and scarring, creating intranasal synechiae.

There are 4 pairs of paranasal sinuses, frontal, maxillary, ethmoidal and sphenoidal.  Sinuses are mucous membrane-lined cavities in the facial bones that drain into the nasal cavities through openings in grooves (the meati) between the turbinates.  Although it has been purported that sinuses serve to lighten the weight of the skull and give the voice its resonance and timbre, much of their function is unknown. 

Septal Deviation:

A deviated nasal septum is an abnormal shift in location of the nasal septum; it is a common condition causing obstruction of the nasal passages and difficulty in breathing and recurrent nose bleeds.

Septal deviation may occur during the birth process, but even when the septum is straight at birth, it is likely to become deformed or deviated from the midline as a person ages; often there is no history of injury to account for the change.  Frequently there are no symptoms associated with a deviated septum.  A significantly deviated septum can be seen, upon examination, to be inclined or bent to one side (sometimes an S-shaped curve blocks both sides) and the airway is greatly reduced.  The obstruction may be anterior (cartilaginous) or posterior (bony) or cartilaginous and bony.  Sometimes the anterior end of the septal cartilage is dislocated into one nasal vestibule, causing moderate to severe degrees of nasal obstruction.  In the presence of symptoms, the position and degree of any deviations, dislocations, and spurs should be noted on a diagram of the septum.  Under such conditions, septal reconstruction or submucous resection is appropriate to relieve the nasal obstruction.  Such surgery is not ordinarily intended to correct headache or reduce nasal mucous discharge.

Except for nasal obstruction, other symptoms resulting from septal malformations are not well defined.  While headaches are found in some patients who have a septal spur impinging on the inferior turbinate, the possibility of coincidence in patients who have both head pain and septal deformity is great and careful evaluation is required before a causal relationship is suggested.

Symptoms of sinusitis may be influenced by a deviated septum that obstructs a sinus opening, and sometimes nosebleeds are produced as a result of air currents drying the mucosa that covers the deflected septum.

Nasal Obstruction:

The nasal valves or vestibules are the areas just inside the nostrils comprised of cartilage and are structured to work together to keep the nasal airway open by facilitating airflow resistance during breathing. The internal valves are located in each side of the nose at the upper edge of the hair bearing area, while the outer (external) valves are at the edge of the nostril rim. Aging, congenital abnormality or prior nasal surgery may cause nasal valve impairment such as nasal valve collapse, also referred to as vestibular stenosis. Nasal valves may narrow, weaken or collapse resulting in symptoms of nasal obstruction.

Nasal obstruction can be caused by changes in the tissue of the nasal cavity, septum, or turbinates; disease of the nasal vestibule; or tumors of the nasal cavity; it can be temporary or fixed.  Obstructive sensations can be associated with the physiologic process known as the nasal cycle, i.e., the physiologic alteration of congestion and decongestion of the nasal turbinates.  This phenomenon, present in about 80 % of the population, means that breathing at any time may be more difficult on one side, but the sides will switch after 2 to 4 hours.  Because of the nasal cycle, total nasal resistance or breathing through both nares remains somewhat constant without producing symptoms of total nasal airway obstruction.  Another normal physiologic occurrence is positional nasal airway obstruction, i.e., when a person lies on one side, that dependent side tends to feel obstructed.

A very common cause of nasal obstruction is allergic rhinitis; this usually can be determined by a patient’s history and clearly requires medical, not surgical, management.  Mechanical obstruction due to septal deformity or hypertrophic turbinates is one of several nonallergic causes.

In order to treat nasal obstruction appropriately, accurate diagnosis of its cause is essential.  Evaluation should include quantification and qualification of the symptoms, determination of the site and cause of obstruction, and determination of any predisposing factors.  The history should answer the questions of the duration of obstruction, any precipitating events such as trauma, are symptoms continuous or intermittent, unilateral or bilateral, or do they alternate from side to side.  It is important to ascertain if symptoms are worse at certain times of the day or night, at certain times of the year, or in any position such as lying on one side, and also if they are provoked by environmental factors, allergens, irritants or dietary factors.

Along with a full ear, nose and throat examination, a systematic evaluation of the nasal cavity, the paranasal sinuses, and nasopharynx should be performed.  In addition to rhinoscopy using a head mirror or fiberoptic headlight, flexible fiberoptic and rigid Hopkins rod endoscopy are important tools in diagnosing a variety of pathologies and anatomic abnormalities.

While obstructive symptoms associated with septal deviation usually occur on the affected side, paradoxically, a patient with a significant septal deviation may complain of obstruction on the apparently nonobstructed side.  This can occur when a septal deviation has been present for years but the patient is unaware of the deformity since he can breathe comfortably from the other side.  Under these circumstances when a major septal deviation causes enlargement of one nasal passage at the expense of the other, the inferior and sometimes the middle turbinate in the enlarged passage undergo compensatory mucosal hypertrophy so that the total airflow resistance of the nose remains pretty normal.  However, if the nasal cycle becomes more pronounced for any reason or even a mild degree of allergic or vasomotor rhinitis is acquired, then the symptoms will be noted primarily in the enlarged side rather than in the anatomically narrowed one since the hypertrophied turbinates on the enlarged side swell considerably more from any stimulus than do the relatively atrophic ones on the narrow side.

Permanent enlargement of the turbinates, particularly the inferior turbinate, may result from a long-standing allergic rhinitis and low-grade inflammation.  The turbinate loses most of its normal ability to expand and to shrink, resulting in continuous nasal obstruction.  Nose drops, antihistamines and allergic desensitization will not relieve such obstruction.  Treatment options include steroid nasal sprays, injection of a sclerosing solution beneath the mucosa of the turbinate and submucosal electrocoagulation; however, in some cases, successful treatment is possible only by submucous resection of the turbinate itself.

At the extreme, nasal airway obstruction can lead to pulmonary pathology because the protective functions of the nose (humidification, heating and filtering) cannot occur.  Asthma and bronchitis may worsen as a result of nasal obstruction.  As noted previously, septal reconstruction or submucous resection is appropriate to relieve nasal obstruction that is definitively caused by a deviated septum.

Standard surgical methods for nasal valve repair depend upon the location and extent of the structural and functional impairment, but generally may include rhinoplasty, septoplasty, turbinoplasty, spreader grafts and batten grafts. Spreader grafts are formed from autologous cartilage and act as wedges between the septum and the upper lateral cartilage, thereby enlarging the internal valve. Batten grafts constructed from autologous cartilage (septum, ear or rib) are used to provide structure to the nasal side wall, supporting a weakened or pinched external valve.

Sinusitis:

Sinusitis means an inflammatory change in the mucosa of a sinus.  Definite signs and symptoms are produced by this pathology.  Uncomplicated acute sinusitis is usually apparent clinically and imaging studies are unnecessary.  However, plain films may be helpful in equivocal cases, and computed tomography (CT) now plays a role in the evaluation of patients with chronic sinusitis who are under consideration for endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).  CT, especially the coronal plane view, facilitates accurate definition of regional anatomy and extent of disease.  It is currently the modality of choice in the evaluation of the paranasal sinuses because of this ability to optimally display bone, soft tissues and air. In selected patients with complications of sinusitis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be useful since its multiplanar imaging capability reveals any extension of sinus infection into the orbit and adjacent brain, especially in cases of aggressive fungal infection.  However, authorities recommend that MRI should not precede CT because CT better displays the complex bony anatomy of the paranasal sinuses, orbits and skull base.

Although the paranasal sinuses often have been implicated as the underlying cause of nasal obstruction or other problems such as headaches, fever of unknown origin, cough, chronic dyspepsia and other upper respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms, in  actuality, probably only 10 % of patients who consult an otolaryngologist because of “sinus trouble” have sinusitis.  Allergy evaluation is a useful part of the workup for chronic sinusitis.

Treatment of acute sinusitis is medical, directed at relief of pain, shrinkage of the nasal mucosa and control of infection; such conservative treatment is effective in 90 % of patients.  When a subacute infection persists, antral irrigation and/or antral puncture may be indicated and short term corticosteroids may be helpful.  Inadequate treatment of the acute or subacute phase or recurrent attacks can lead to irreversible tissue changes in the membranes lining one or more of the paranasal sinuses, i.e., chronic suppurative sinusitis.  Frequently surgery is required for this condition with removal of all diseased soft tissue and bone, adequate postoperative drainage, and obliteration of the preexisting sinus cavity where possible.  Although a specific technique is used for each sinus, the aim of any procedure used is to eradicate the infection but to leave contiguous structures normal.

When sinusitis is influenced by a deviated septum that occludes a sinus ostium, septoplasty may be warranted.

Epistaxis (NoseBleed):

The most common cause of nosebleed is trauma such as picking a crust off the nasal septum or excessive drying of the nasal mucosa.  Bleeding from the posterior half of the nose, however, is  more likely to be caused by a splitting of a sclerotic blood vessel and is more common in hypertensive patients.  Anterior nosebleeds are easy to treat by aspirating the blood clots, applying topical epinephrine and cauterizing the bleeding point.  Prolonged packing of both sides of the nose may be necessary to allow healing in some patients.  Because it is often impossible to see the exact bleeding site in posterior nosebleeds, treatment is more difficult.  Bleeding must be controlled by compression of the bleeding vessel with a postnasal pack for 48 to 96 hours, arterial ligation or transpalatal injection of saline solution into the greater palatine foramen.  Usually operative procedures on the nasal septum are not required for the control of nosebleeds; however, sometimes when projecting parts of the septum are traumatized by the drying effect of inspired air and impede visualization of the area of the nose posterior to the deviation, then septoplasty may be indicated to visualize the area for purposes of cautery and control.

Regulatory Status

N/A

Rationale

Population Reference No. 1 Policy Statement

For individuals with secondary nasal deformity.  Interventions of interest are surgical repair of the nostrils. Comparators of interests are other treatment and procedures. Relevant outcomes include to correct congenital anatomical deformities acquired in the nostril. The evidence is sufficient to determine that the technology results in a meaningful improvement in the net health outcome.

Population Reference No. 2 Policy Statement

For individuals with deformity cleft lip type and/or congenital cleft palate.  Interventions of interest are surgical repair of the nostrils. Comparators of interests are other treatment and procedures. Relevant outcomes include to correct congenital anatomical deformities acquired in the nostril. The evidence is sufficient to determine that the technology results in a meaningful improvement in the net health outcome.

Population Reference No. 3 Policy Statement

For individuals with with chronic non-septal obstruction of the respiratory airways resulting of stenosis of vestibule.  Interventions of interest are surgical repair of the nostrils. Comparators of interests are other treatment and procedures. Relevant outcomes include to correct congenital anatomical deformities acquired in the nostril. The evidence is sufficient to determine that the technology results in a meaningful improvement in the net health outcome.

Supplemental Information

N/A

Practice Guidelines and Position Statements

N/A

Medicare National Coverage

N/A

References

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34. Current Procedural Terminology ( 2020) American Medical Association

Codes

Applicable Modifiers

Some modifiers

Policy History