Blood Supply of Inferior Turbinate and Lateral Nasal Wall

Abstract

The blood supply of the nasal cavity acquires a great deal of interest for many reasons; the first, for the treatment of the common condition which is the epistaxis that need some times surgical interventions. The second, is the newly developed endoscopic surgeries, especially, sinus and skull base surgeries that requires a good choice of endonasal flap to close the dural defects as a consequences of these operations. Successful closure of such defects depends on a vital flap with good blood supply. The blood supply of the nasal cavity is still a subject of controversy; the clinical textbooks added some details to the courses of the arteries from surgical points of interest. In this study, forty formalin-fixed hemisected cadaveric heads were examined; with the aid of dissecting microscope. As a result; the lateral wall was studied, the sphenopalatine artery (SPA) divides before or at the sphenopalatine foramen (SPF) in 36 cases while it divides inside the nose in 4 cases. The superior turbinate artery arises from SPA in 15 cases and arises from nasoseptal (NSA) branch in 25 cases. The SPA gives the NSA and the posterior lateral nasal artery (PLNA). The posterior lateral nasal artery (PLNA) gave middle turbinate artery (MTA) and inferior turbinate artery (ITA).The average length of ITA was 9.057± 1.674 mm, the diameter was 1.452 ± 0.172 mm, the distance from posterior end of IT 7.879 ± 1.52 mm. Anastomosis in the lateral nasal wall between ITA and anterior ethmoidal and lateral nasal – of facial- arteries were established. In conclusion, the lateral nasal wall is supplied mainly by the SPA and its branches, the ethmoidal arteries via their nasal branches, and the facial artery participate in the blood supply of lateral wall and anastomose with branches of SPA.