Kiesselbach's plexus

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The bones and cartilage of the nasal septum-- viewed from right side. Kiesselbach's plexus (not labelled) is the anterior part of the nasal septum where several arteries anastomose.

Kiesselbach's plexus, which lies in Kiesselbach's area, Kiesselbach's triangle, or Little's area, is a region in the anteroinferior part of the nasal septum where four arteries anastomose to form a vascular plexus of that name. The arteries are:[1]

Significance

Ninety percent of nose bleeds (epistaxis) occur in Little's area, as it is exposed to the drying effect of inspiratory current.[2][3] Alternatively, it can be argued, since most nosebleeds are provoked by nose-picking, that this very vascular area of nasal mucosa is within reach of the probing finger.

History

Kiesselbach's plexus is named after Wilhelm Kiesselbach (1839-1902) a German otolaryngologist. James L. Little an American surgeon, first described the area in 1879, Kiesselbach published his paper in 1884. Little described the area as being "about half an inch .... from the lower edge of the middle of the column [septum]." [4]

See also

  • Terms for anatomical location

References

  1. ↑ Moore, Keith L. et al. (2010) Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 6th Ed, p.959
  2. ↑ Doyle DE. Anterior epistaxis: a new nasal tampon for fast, effective control. Laryngoscope. 1986 Mar;96(3):279-81.PMID 3951304.
  3. ↑ http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/835134-overview
  4. ↑ Analysis of Epistaxis in Pregnancy, Little, J. L.: A hitherto undescribed lesion as a cause of epistaxis, with 4 cases, Hosp. Gaz., 6:5, March-Dec. 1879.

External links

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