Are differences in external noses between whites and Koreans caused by differences in the nasal septum?
The nasal septum plays an important role in nose development. East Asians are believed to have inherent hypoplasia of the nasal septum because East Asians have smaller noses than whites do. However, there have been no studies of nasal septum differences between whites and East Asians. We compared the nasal septum and its components in Koreans and whites using computed tomographic scan data. Twenty-seven patients of white origin and 64 patients of Korean origin older than 20 years were enrolled in this study between 2008 and 2012. We evaluated a total of 9 measurement items (5 for the nasal bones and septa as well as 4 for the external nose morphology). Sex differences in whites were the same as those in Koreans. Nasal bridge length and cartilaginous nasal bridge length were significantly longer in whites than in Koreans. However, there were no significant differences in nasal height, nasal tip projection, nasal bone length, total septal area, or most components of the nasal septum between the samples. The relative proportions of the cartilaginous septum divided by the total septal area were negatively correlated with the relative proportions of the perpendicular plate in both groups. Differences in the external nasal morphology between whites and Koreans are not caused by differences in the nasal septum.
*Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Institute of Health Sciences, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju †Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine ‡Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University Changwon Samsung Medical Center, Changwon §Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul ||Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Nam Gyun
NG
Kim
Sang Woo
SW
Park
Hyoung Ouk
HO
Park
Tae Hyun
TH
Choi
Junhyung
J
Kim
Jaehoon
J
Choi
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D002508:Cephalometry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009300:Nasal Septum / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009666:Nose / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000601:surgery; D012016:Reference Values; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012225:Rhinoplasty / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult