Facial Plast Surg 2011; 27(2): 135-145
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1271294
© Thieme Medical Publishers

Functional Anatomy of the Nose

Thomas Koppe1 , Evangelos I. Giotakis2 , Werner Heppt2
  • 1Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
  • 2Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery, Klinikum Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
14 March 2011 (online)

ABSTRACT

The human nose is a very complex entity with a great amount of variation among and within different human populations. Even though the morphology of the nasal pyramid and its soft tissue coverage is principally known, a standardized nomenclature does not yet exist. The past two decades have witnessed a considerable increase of new studies on the functional morphology of the external nasal anatomy. Detailed anatomic and clinical knowledge about the external nose is a prerequisite for successful rhinosurgery, thus this report deals with the basic structures necessary for functional and aesthetic rhinoplasty.

REFERENCES

  • 1 Franciscus R G, Trinkaus E. Nasal morphology and the emergence of Homo erectus.  Am J Phys Anthropol. 1988;  75 517-527
  • 2 Pirsig W. Diseases of the nasal region on ceramics of the Moche-culture in ancient Peru.  Rhinology. 1989;  (Suppl 9) 27-36
  • 3 Farkas L G, Kolar J C, Munro I R. Geography of the nose: a morphometric study.  Aesthetic Plast Surg. 1986;  10 191-223
  • 4 Hwang T S, Kang H S. Morphometry of nasal bases and nostrils in Koreans.  Ann Anat. 2003;  185 189-193
  • 5 Lang J. Clinical Anatomy of the Nose, Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinuses. Stuttgart, Germany: G. Thieme; 1989
  • 6 Schaeffer J P. The Nose, Paranasal Sinuses, Nasolacrimal Passageways and Olfactory Organ in Man. Philadelphia, PA: P. Blakiston's Son Co.; 1920
  • 7 Gürkov R, Clevert D, Krause E. Sonography versus plain x rays in diagnosis of nasal fractures.  Am J Rhinol. 2008;  22 613-616
  • 8 Bremke M, Wiegand S, Sesterhenn A M, Eken M, Bien S, Werner J A. Digital volume tomography in the diagnosis of nasal bone fractures.  Rhinology. 2009;  47 126-131
  • 9 Park C H, Kwon T K, Lee J H, Hong S J, Joung H H, Kim H S. Endoscopically assisted reduction of nasal bone fractures.  Rhinology. 2009;  47 301-304
  • 10 Foda H M. Mersiline mesh in premaxillary augmentation.  Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2005;  29 169-173
  • 11 Tate J R, Sykes J. Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis.  Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2009;  42 521-525
  • 12 Mink P J. Physiologie der oberen Luftwege. Leipzig, Germany: FCW Vogel; 1920
  • 13 Bloching M B. Disorders of the nasal valve area.  GMS Curr Top Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008;  6 1-13
  • 14 Al Dayeh A A, Rafferty K L, Egbert M, Herring S W. Deformation of nasal septal cartilage during mastication.  J Morphol. 2009;  270 1209-1218
  • 15 Potter J K, Rogers T, Finn R. Macroscopic and microscopic details of the cartilaginous nasal pyramid.  J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2000;  58 867-876
  • 16 Bruintjes T D. On the Functional Anatomy of the Nasal Valve and Lobule. [Ph.D. thesis] Utrecht, The Netherlands: Universiteit Utrecht; 1996
  • 17 Fawcett E. A complete common paraseptal cartilage in a primate.  J Anat. 1943;  77 (Pt 2) 176-178
  • 18 Mendelsohn M. Straightening the crooked middle third of the nose: using porous polyethylene extended spreader grafts.  Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2005;  7 74-80
  • 19 Gubisch W. Extracorporeal septoplasty for the markedly deviated septum.  Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2005;  7 218-226
  • 20 Boenisch M, Tamás H, Nolst Trenité G J. Influence of polydioxanone foil on growing septal cartilage after surgery in an animal model: new aspects of cartilage healing and regeneration.  (preliminary results) Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2003;  5 316-319
  • 21 Gerlinger I, Kárász T, Somogyvári K, Szanyi I, Rath G, Móricz P, Boenish M. Extracorporal septal reconstruction with polydioxanone foil.  Clin Otolaryngol. 2007;  32 465-470
  • 22 Daniel R K. Rhinoplasty: septal saddle nose deformity and composite reconstruction.  Plast Reconstr Surg. 2007;  119 1029-1043
  • 23 Oneal R M, Beil R J, Izenberg P H, Schlesinger J. Surgical anatomy of the nose.  Oper Tech Plast Reconstr Surg. 2000;  7 158-167
  • 24 Letourneau A, Daniel R K. The superficial musculoaponeurotic system of the nose.  Plast Reconstr Surg. 1988;  82 48-57
  • 25 Saban Y, Andretto Amodeo C, Hammou J C, Polselli R. An anatomical study of the nasal superficial musculoaponeurotic system: surgical applications in rhinoplasty.  Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2008;  10 109-115
  • 26 Han S K, Lee D G, Kim J B, Kim W K. An anatomic study of nasal tip supporting structures.  Ann Plast Surg. 2004;  52 134-139
  • 27 Copcu E, Metin K, Özsunar Y, Çulhaci N, Ozkök S. The interdomal fat pad of the nose: a new anatomical structure.  Surg Radiol Anat. 2004;  26 14-18
  • 28 Williams P L, Warwick R, Dysen M, Bannister L H. Gray's Anatomy. 37th ed. Edinburgh, UK: Churchill Livingstone; 1989
  • 29 Rohrich R J, Hoxworth R E, Thornton J F, Pessa J E. The pyriform ligament.  Plast Reconstr Surg. 2008;  121 277-281
  • 30 Huizing E H, De Groot J AM. Functional Reconstructive Nasal Surgery. Stuttgart, Germany: G. Thieme; 2003
  • 31 Häring A. Topographische Anatomie der Nase und dreidimensionale Darstellung auf der Basis plastinationshistologischer Schnittserien. [med dissertation] Lübeck, Germany: Universität zu Lübeck; 2006
  • 32 Gloster Jr H M. The use of full-thickness skin grafts to repair nonperforating nasal defects.  J Am Acad Dermatol. 2000;  42 1041-1050
  • 33 Anderson K J, Henneberg M, Norris R M. Anatomy of the nasal profile.  J Anat. 2008;  213 210-216
  • 34 Solomon P S, Rival R, Mabini A, Boyd J. Transfixion incision as an initial technique in nasal tip deprojection.  Can J Plast Surg. 2008;  16 224-227
  • 35 Bruintjes T D, van Olphen A F, Hillen B, Huizing E H. A functional anatomic study of the relationship of the nasal cartilages and muscles to the nasal valve area.  Laryngoscope. 1998;  108 1025-1032
  • 36 Figallo E E, Acosta J A. Nose muscular dynamics: the tip trigonum.  Plast Reconstr Surg. 2001;  108 1118-1126
  • 37 de Souza Pinto E B. Relationship between tip nasal muscles and the short upper lip.  Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2003;  27 381-387
  • 38 Lai A, Cheney M L. External nasal anatomy and its application to rhinoplasty.  Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2002;  26 (Suppl 1) S9
  • 39 Schumacher G H. Anatomie. Lehrbuch und Atlas. Band 1. 2. Auflage. Leipzig, Germany: J. A. Barth; 1991
  • 40 Toriumi D M, Mueller R A, Grosch T, Bhattacharyya T K, Larrabee Jr W F. Vascular anatomy of the nose and the external rhinoplasty approach.  Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1996;  122 24-34
  • 41 Thumfart W F, Platzer W, Gunkel A R, Maurer H, Brenner E. Operative Zugangswege in der HNO-Heilkunde. Stuttgart, Germany: G. Thieme; 1998
  • 42 Jung D H, Kim H J, Koh K S et al.. Arterial supply of the nasal tip in Asians.  Laryngoscope. 2000;  110 (2 Pt 1) 308-311
  • 43 Miyake M, Ito M, Nagahata S, Takeuchi Y, Fukui Y. Morphological study of the human maxillofacial venous vasculature: examination of venous valves using the corrosion resin cast technique.  Anat Rec. 1996;  244 126-132
  • 44 Han S K, Shin Y W, Kim W K. Anatomy of the external nasal nerve.  Plast Reconstr Surg. 2004;  114 1055-1059

Thomas KoppeD.D.S. 

Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald

Friedrich-Loeffler-Str. 23c, 17487 Greifswald, Germany

Email: thokoppe@uni-greifswald.de