Books on rhinoplasty surgery abound, and some (for example, those written by Sheen, Nolst, Trenite and Aiach, among others) remain invaluable reference texts for those who undertake this form of surgery. The present book is a multi-author volume, with the majority of the authors emanating from the United States. It consists of two main sections: ‘Technical considerations’ and ‘Personal philosophies’. The former section covers diverse subjects, including the management of such problems as septal perforations, the crooked nose and the over-resected dorsum, as well as giving an account of the psychological characteristics of revision rhinoplasty patients. The latter section is a selection of personal perspectives on the approach to patients presenting with residual deformity and, inevitably, contains an element of duplication of information.

Clearly, revision rhinoplasty and septal surgery are challenges, not least because the normal anatomical landmarks are obliterated or damaged, and also because the scarring of skin and soft tissues, due to previous intervention, may result in unpredictability during the healing process. However, the same may be said for those cases in which deformity has arisen from severe or repeated trauma; against that background, it is difficult to see where the perspective of the patient presenting for revision clearly differs. Clearly, some elements, particularly the psychological ones, are likely to differ substantially, for both the patient and the surgeon. However, many of the technical problems posed in revision exactly mirror those seen in many un-operated cases.

Having said that, this book does contain much to recommend it. The prose style is lucid and uniform (which is not always so in multi-authored texts) and the book is lavishly and beautifully illustrated and presented – as one would expect from any book published by Thieme. However, there are also problems. For example, the bibliographies to each chapter are often very brief, and in some cases contain only rather elderly material. In addition, while much that is written is from a fresh perspective – which is always helpful – the real need for this book remains rather unclear throughout. Much of the presented material is available in substantially the same format in more established texts, which do not purport to address solely revision surgery. For that reason, it is difficult to recommend this book wholeheartedly, and certainly it should not be the first purchase for those embarking on this difficult and challenging operation. For more seasoned hands, there is perhaps more of an appeal, although the need for this book remains somewhat elusive when so many other good contemporary texts exist.