title: Correlations between selected parameters of nasal cavity in neonates and young infants - computed tomography study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Correlations between selected metric parameters of the nasal cavity and nasopharynx in children without atresia may be useful for anticipating probable dimensions of this region in living subjects, in terms of changes with age.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eighty children, age range 0-3 years, were divided into five age groups, and measurements of 18 distances between structures of nasal cavity and nosopharynx were performed on computed tomography scans. Correlation coefficients and relations between parameters have been determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our study confirmed the existence of statistically significant correlations between linear dimensions within nasal cavity in children. The analysis demon-strated that for the values of following indexes: nasal septum length/piriform aperture width, and maximum length of the nasal septum/posterior nares width no statistically significant differences have been noted between age groups of children. All correlations have been positive. No statistically significant differences have been noted between the maximum width of the vomer and osseous parameters measured, both in the anterior and posterior part of the nasal cavity, and nasal septum length.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The size of posterior nares changed with age in children by a constant value. So far, no such an analysis has been carried out assessing potential correlations between linear dimensions for the entire nasal cavity, nasopharynx, length of the nasal septum in children, as well as proportions of individual linear dimensions of the anatomical structures analysed, in various age groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland. wirginia.likus@gmail.com.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Likus
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gruszczyńska
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Markowski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Machnikowska-Sokołowska
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Olczak
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bajor
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Los
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baron
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009296:Nasal Cavity; D009305:Nasopharynx; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: children; computed tomography; correlations; dimensions; infants; nasal cavity