Characterization of nasal paraffinoma following septorhinoplasty by attenuated total reflection--fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR).

Vaseline and paraffin have been injected into various parts of the body. Vaselinoma and paraffinoma are well-described complications, despite which nasal packing with Vaseline gauze is still common in the management of epistaxis, after rhinoplasty, endonasal surgery, to control bleeding and prevent synechiae or restenosis. Our aim is to highlight this complication, propose a safe method for its diagnosis and establish guidelines for its prevention. We report two cases of paraffinoma occurring after rhinoplasty and discuss prevention of this rare but serious complication, and suggest an alternative dressing. Attenuated total reflection (ATR) FI7R spectra have proven to be a definitive characterising tool for surgical extracts, guaranteeing detection of mineral products that histology does not offer. For these lesions we propose the name "petroleum oilomas" which we feel to be more appropriate than the more commonly used paraffinomas. Relevance of the work: a description of an innovative and safe method of diagnosis, and proposal of a procedure for postrhinoplasty packing (without mineral oils) to avoid this complication.