The nasal valve: a review of the anatomy, imaging, and physiology

Abstract

Background: The nasal valve region has remained difficult to define in clinical practice in part because of lack of integration between physiological data and anatomic-surgical findings.

Methods: In this review, we summarize the anatomic, physiological, and imaging data regarding this complex area of airflow regulation.

Results: There is no singular resistive focus or singular valve structure to explain all of the reported findings.

Conclusion: We conclude that there is a nasal valve region that begins approximately at the limen nasi and continues for several millimeters within the nasal cavum beyond the piriform aperture. Intranasal pressure measurements reflect distributed resistance across this nasal valve region. The geometry and anatomic constitution of the nasal valve region change greatly from its entrance to its distal aspect. To refer consistently to the component portions of the nasal valve region, we suggest the terms cartilaginous valve segment and bony valve segment for use in reporting future studies.