25 - Nasal cavity Flashcards
Describe the overall structure of the nasal cavity.
- paired structure with right and left cavities separated by the septum
- separated form the oral cavity by the hard palate
What is the function of the nasal cavity?
- contain olfactory receptor for smell
- filters and humidifies air for respiration
What bones make up the external nose?
- nasal
- frontal process of maxilla
What cartilages make up the external nose?
- septal
- major and minor alar
What muscles make up the external nose?
- nasalis
- depressor septi nasi
- Levator labii superioris alequae nasi
What bone forms the floor of the nasal cavity?
- palatine process of maxillae
- horizontal plate of palatine bones
What are the key features of the floor of the nasal cavity?
- nares
- incisive canals
- nasal crest
What are the nares?
Anterior opening of the nasal cavity (nostrils)
What is the nasal crest?
Attachment of the vomer in the nasal septum
What makes up the nasal septum?
- septal cartilage
- perpendicular plate of ethmoid bone
- vomer
What problems can a deviated septum present?
- can be a birth defect or caused by injury
- snoring
- nosebleeds
- difficulty bleeding
What makes up the roof of the nasal cavity?
- cribriform plate of ethmoid
- nasal bones (anteriorly)
- nasal spine of frontal bone (anteriorly)
- sphenoid bone (posteriorly)
What is the cribriform plate’s relationship to the nasal cavity?
Has many holes to allow the passage of the olfactory nerves to the nasal cavity
What bones make up the lateral wall of the nasal cavity?
- nasal
- ethmoid (superior and middle conchae)
- lacrimal
- maxilla
- inferior concha
- palatine
- sphenoid
What is the ethmoidal labyrinth?
- projects 2 of the 3 conchae in the nose
- middle and superior
- lateral walls of the labyrinth form part of the orbit
- increases surface area for warming and humidification