ABSTRACT
SURGICAL ANATOMY Nasal Cavity The nasal cavity is bounded by the bony pyriform aperture and the external framework of the nose (Fig. 1). The nasal cavity opens anteriorly through the skin-lined nasal vestibule into the nares, and communicates posteriorly through the choanae with the nasopharynx [Fig. 2(A)]. The nasal cavity is divided in the midline by the nasal septum, which includes both cartilaginous and bony components [Fig. 2(B)]. The cartilage of the septum is quadrilateral in shape, and is thicker at its margins than at its center. Its anterior margin is connected with the nasal bones, and is continuous with the anterior margins of the lateral cartilages; below, it is connected to the medial crura of the greater alar cartilages by fibrous tissue (Fig. 1). Its posterior margin is connected with the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid; its inferior margin is connected with the vomer and the palatine process of the maxilla.
