Nasal septum

Generality

The nasal septum is the lamina that divides, without the possibility of reciprocal communication, the two nasal cavities and the two nasal nostrils.
The nasal septum comprises a bone component and a cartilage component.

The bone component represents the postero-inferior portion and includes the ethmoid bone, the vomer bone and the nasal crests of the palatine and maxillary bones. The cartilage component, on the other hand, constitutes the antero-inferior portion and includes the so-called septal cartilage, the so-called major and minor alar cartilages, and the columella.
Lined with ciliated respiratory mucosa, the nasal septum is richly vascularized and innervated.
Its musculature, on the other hand, is small and includes a single muscle: the so-called depressor muscle of the nasal septum.
The nasal septum can be the victim of pathological deviations. Typically, pathological deviations of the nasal septum are consequences of traumatic events.