Sonography of the nasal cartilage: technique and normal anatomy

Abstract

The cartilagineous parts of the nose may be involved in a wide range of pathologies ranging from trauma and infection to malignancy. If pathology is suspected on examination, an easy-to-use imaging modality would be helpful in everyday clinical work. Until now, sonography of the nasal cartilage has not been described. This short letter describes the technique and normal anatomy of the nasal cartilage on sonography. Sonography may evolve into a powerful imaging tool in imaging of the nasal cartilage.

Keywords: Anatomy; Nasal cartilage; Ultrasound.

Figures

Fig. 1

Detailed view of the greater alar cartilage showing the typical bandlike appearance of the lateral and alar cartilages

Fig. 2

Suggested imaging planes and normal anatomy in the examination of the nasal cartilage. The upper row shows a longitudinal view of the back of the nose extending from the nasal bone to the tip of the nose. In the lower row a scan from caudal onto the nose tip is shown on the left. On the right a longitudinal scan on the side of the nose can be seen