Patient-Reported Outcomes Assessment in the Practice Setting

Bilateral dissections were performed on 61 cadavers that had no evidence of previous nasal trauma or sinonasal surgery. The investigators examined the ethmoidal crest of the perpendicular plate of the palatine bone; the location of the SPF, and the presence and location of the accessory foramen; distance from the SPF and accessory foramen to the anterior nasal spine; and the number of arterial branches emerging through the SPF and through the accessory foramen.

The researchers found that the ethmoidal crest was present in all cases; it was anterior to the SPF in 98.4% of cases. The most frequent (86.9%) location of the SPF was the transition area between the middle and superior meatus. The accessory foramen was present in only 9.83% of cases; in all but one of these, it was located within the middle meatus. The average distance from the SPF to the anterior nasal spine was 6.6 cm, and the average distance from the accessory foramen to the anterior nasal spine was 6.7 cm. Most nasal fossae (67.21%) presented only a single trunk, emerging through the SPF. In all cases, the accessory foramen presented only one branch. The researchers found no significant association of any variable with the presence of the accessory foramen.

The investigators note that the ethmoid crest, present in all cases, is an important anatomical landmark to find the SPF. Although trying to predict when an accessory foramen would be present could be of great value to minimize therapeutic failure, the prediction of its presence was not possible in relation to the variables analyzed in this study.

(Laryngoscope 2008;118:156-61)

©2008 The Triological Society