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Nasal Septal Deviation and Facial Skeletal Asymmetries
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Nasal Septal Deviation and Facial Skeletal Asymmetries

Christopher Hartman, Nathan Holton, Steven Miller, Todd Yokley, Steven Marshall, Sreedevi Srinivasan and Thomas Southard
Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007), Vol.299(3), pp.295-306
03/2016
DOI: 10.1002/ar.23303
PMID: 26677010
url
https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.23303View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

During ontogeny, the nasal septum exerts a morphogenetic influence on the surrounding facial skeleton. While the influence of the septum is well established in long snouted animal models, its role in human facial growth is less clear. If the septum is a facial growth center in humans, we would predict that deviated septal growth would be associated with facial skeletal asymmetries. Using computed tomographic (CT) scans of n = 55 adult subjects, the purpose of this study was to test whether there is a correlation between septal deviation and facial asymmetries using three-dimensional (3D) geometric morphometric techniques. We calculated deviation as a percentage of septal volume relative to the volume of a modeled non-deviated septum. We then recorded skeletal landmarks representing the nasal, palatal, and lateral facial regions. Landmark data were superimposed using Procrustes analysis. First, we examined the correlation between nasal septal deviation and the overall magnitude of asymmetry. Next, we assessed whether there was a relationship between nasal septal deviation and more localized aspects of asymmetry using multivariate regression analysis. Our results indicate that while there was no correlation between septal deviation and the overall magnitude of asymmetry, septal deviation was associated with asymmetry primarily in the nasal floor and the palatal region. Septal deviation was unassociated with asymmetries in the lateral facial skeleton. Though we did not test the causal relationship between nasal septal deviation and facial asymmetry, our results suggest that the nasal septum may have an influence on patterns of adult facial form.
 Adult Aged Facial Asymmetry - diagnostic imaging Facial Bones - anatomy & histology Facial Bones - diagnostic imaging Female Humans Imaging, Three-Dimensional Male Middle Aged Nasal Septum - anatomy & histology Nasal Septum - diagnostic imaging Tomography, X-Ray Computed Young Adult

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