Fontanelle and Uncinate Process in the Lateral Wall of the Human Nasal Cavity

Abstract

, DDS; J eung-Gweon Lee, MD; In-Hyuk Chung, MD Objectives: Although a complete anatomic knowledge of the fontanelle is a prerequisite to perform a surgical antrostomy opening, little is known about the boundary, shape, and size of the fontanelle. The purpose of this paper is to determine the best site for maintaining the patency of a surgical antrostomy opening by defining the anatomic boundaries, shape, and size of the fontanelle as well as its histological structure. Materials ana-Methods: One hundred sagittally divided heads were utilized. Mucosa overlying the lateral nasal wall was carefully removed with an operating microscope under 6x magnification. In some cases, a double mucous membrane, including the posteroinferior portion of the uncinate process, was cut as a whole and embedded in paraffin. The sections were stained with H&E. Results: The boundary of the fontanelle and the location of the. natural ostium were described in detail. Eight patterns of the posteroinferior portion of the uncinate process were observed. There were three major fontanelle shapes when observed from the medial aspect to the lateral: triangular, pencil-like, and oval. The triangular type was the most common. The anterior portion of the fontanelle was shorter than the posterior when ob· served medially and was wider than the posterior portion when observed inferiorly. Conclusions: The anterior portion of the fontanelle is more prone to stenosis than the posterior portion. An antrostomy in the posterior fontanelle may be more ideal for a mid· die meatal antrostomy of the maxillary sinus.

Surgical anatomy of the middle turbinate

“…There have been many reports describing the anatomy of the lateral nasal wall (Sato et al, 2000;Yoon et al, 2000;Kim et al, 2001a;Kim et al, 2001b). However, there are few reports describing the middle turbinate, which is believed to be a very important landmark when performing ESS.…”

The Relationship Between Frontal Sinusitis and Localization of the Frontal Sinus Outflow Tract

“…Interest was given mostly to the posterior-inferior segment of the UP. 6,7 The superior attachment of the UP was first referred to by Stammberger and Hawke 8(pp60-87) in 1991, and they described 3 possible extensions to the lamina papyracea, skull base, or middle turbinate. However, they did not state other possible variations and combinations.…”

Paranasal Sinus Anatomy: What the Surgeon Needs to Know

“…However, the bony defect is made much smaller by the contribution of the surrounding bones like lacrimal bone, ethmoid bone, inferior turbinate, and perpendicular plate of the palatine bone. This fontanelle is crossed by the uncinate process which divided it into a small anterior fontanelle and larger posterior fontanelle [16].…”