Nasal Function and Evaluation

The nose is located within the central portion of the craniofacial skeleton and serves many important functions for human respiration and overall well-being. These functions include warming, humidifying and delivering air to the lower respiratory tract as well as conveyance of odorants to the olfactory epithelium and removal of particulate debris. In addition, the nose is physiologically dynamic with a rich neurovascular supply and hosts a variety of immunologic mediators. Several anatomic factors and disease states can affect these functions, therefore, a thorough understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the nose and nasal cavity are required for the evaluating otolaryngologist. This review contains 9 figures, 5 tables, and 43 references Keywords: Nasal function, nasal anatomy, nasal airflow, nasal resistance, nasal endoscopy