Pre- and Postoperative Visualization in Rhinoplasty: Effects of LED Light Panels in Aesthetic Photography on Image Integrity.

[BACKGROUND] Lighting conditions for photographic documentation during pre- and postoperative visits are critical in capturing the outcomes of rhinoplasty for patients. Current standards may not provide direct side lighting, which can enhance visualization of uneven textures. We present a revised studio setup with dual-function background lights positioned perpendicular to the subject-camera axis to provide both back and side lighting.

[METHODS] Rhinoplasty pictures were taken in an academic hospital clinic office from six standard angles for pre- and postoperative photography. Two foreground LED continuous lights were placed at 45 degrees relative to the subject-camera axis. An additional two LED continuous lights were angled perpendicularly to the subject-camera axis and positioned at approximately half the distance between the subject and background. Rapid colorimetric image analysis was conducted, and Hex color values were compared to a reference photograph to evaluate colorimetric distortion [4]. Paired images were evaluated by four blinded providers to evaluate nasal structure distortion, image sharpness, image noise, and overall clinical fidelity.

[RESULTS] Color accuracy was maintained for the four-light and two-light conditions in the frontal view, with 97% and 94% fidelity compared to the true reference, respectively. In the right oblique view, fidelity for the four-light system was 99% as compared to 100% for the two-light system. Subjective provider ratings established the proposed lighting system as superior in terms of overall clinical fidelity to the standard two-light conditions in nearly all angles (87.5%).

[CONCLUSION] This study focuses on moving beyond primarily two foreground lighting which may be limited in terms of side-lighting effects and resultant impact on overall image quality in the goals of optimizing pre- and post-operative documentation.

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