Nasal passage
A channel for airflow through the nose. The walls of the nasal passages are coated with respiratory mucous membranes, which contain innumerable tiny hair-like cells that move waves of mucus toward the throat. Dust, bacteria, and other particles inhaled from the air are trapped by the mucus in the nose, carried back, swallowed, and dropped into the gastric juices so that any potential harm they might do is nullified. The organs of smell are made up of patches of tissue called olfactory membranes. The olfactory membranes are about the size of a postage stamp and are located in a pair of clefts just under the bridge of the nose. Most air breathed in normally flows through the nose, but only a small part reaches the olfactory clefts to get a response to an odor. When a person sniffs to detect a smell, air moves faster through the nose, increasing the flow to the olfactory clefts and carrying more odor to these sensory organs.
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A growth or protrusion of tissue in the nose or sinuses. Nasal polyps may produce no symptoms or may lead to obstruction of the nasal passages, sinus infection, and a decreased sense of smell. Nasal polyps are almost always benign. Treatment can involve medications or surgery.
- Nasal polyps
Benign growths that originate in the mucous membranes lining the nasal passages or paranasal sinuses. Polyps are believed to arise in the nasal mucosa as a result of chronic inflammation. Up to 4% of adults have nasal polyps; they can also occur in children, particularly those with chronic respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis. Symptoms […]
- Nasal prosthesis
An artificial device worn to replace part or all of a missing nose.
- Nasal septum
The dividing wall that runs down the middle of the nose, separating the two nasal ‘cavities, each of which ends in a nostril. The nasal septum is composed of bone, cartilage, and ‘membranes.
- Nasal septum deviation
Failure of the nasal septum to be in the midline where it is supposed to be. The nasal septum is the wall inside the nose that runs down the middle dividing it into two sides. Deviation of the nasal septum may be congenital (present at birth or develop later on its own) or occur later […]