title: Nasal septum morphology in human fetuses in computed tomography images.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nasal septum deformation (NSD) may cause breathing dysfunction. The reason for a septal deviation is the developmental anomaly in growth of the elastic septum or its skeleton. Such a type of deviation is called physiological. Some deviations can result from the prenatal trauma. The aim of the work was the analysis of the anatomy of the nasal cavity with a special interest focused on the nasal septum and its deviation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The nasal cavity with its bones and septum was analyzed in CT images of 105 spontaneously aborted fetuses (57 males and 48 females) aged 12 and 40 weeks of gestation. We attempted to assess the morphometric development of the nasal cavity with tomographic scanning methods and to detect anatomical variations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 15 (14.3%) fetuses, NSD were detected on radiological sections. The angle between the virtual line from the sphenoid sinus ostium through limen nasi and the horizontal plane was 33.6 ±2.3°, on average.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NSD may already be found in fetuses. The observation of the nasal cavity development enables to evaluate the growth and symmetry of the nasal septum and to foretell predispositions for dysfunction in the upper respiratory tract.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland. teul@life.pl
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Teul
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Slawinski
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lewandowski
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dzieciolowska-Baran
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gawlikowska-Sroka
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Czerwinski
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009300:Nasal Septum / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*