Two cases of facial cellulitis caused by devices for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and treated by prosthesis removal a long time after rhinoplastic surgery

Abstract

The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Japan is increasing as the country's population continues to age. Augmentation rhinoplasty is a frequently performed cosmetic surgery procedure and many patients who have undergone this procedure may now be suffering from COPD. Once an infection occurs around the prosthesis, it cannot be cured without its removal, even if the rhinoplastic surgery was performed many years previously. We herein report two cases of facial cellulitis that were caused by devices for COPD and which were treated by prosthesis removal. The first case is that of a 63-year-old woman who was first treated with the long-term administration of antibiotics. When her symptoms did not improve, a prosthesis removal procedure was performed. The second case is that of an 84-year-old woman in whom prosthesis removal was the first line of treatment. These two cases suggest the possibility that otorhinolaryngologists may have to increasingly in the future treat facial cellulitis in elderly patients who have undergone rhinoplasty and who are now suffering from COPD.