The nose and paranasal sinuses physiology and anatomy
Section snippets
Physiology
What does the nose do? We breathe in about 12 to 24 times a minute, inhaling approximately 10 000 litres of air a day of differing temperature, humidity and which contains dust and organisms.
It has the following functions that are often taken for granted until they are lost:
- 1.
Olfaction
- 2.
Sensation
- 3.
Immunology
- 4.
Mucociliary clearance
- 5.
Filtration
- 6.
Warm and humidify
- 7.
Nasal cycle and airflow dynamics
The external structure
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The nasal bones usually comprise only the upper third of the nose (Fig. 2).
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The septum forms the central strut or scaffolding of the nose and separates the two nasal airways (Fig. 3a and b).
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The anterior part of the central strut or septum is made up of the quadrilateral cartilage which is attached behind to the vomer and vertical plate of ethmoid and below to the maxillary crest and spine.
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The middle third of the nose is made up of the upper lateral cartilages which are a lateral continuation of
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