Radiologic Measurement of the Nasal Length and Keystone Area in Relation to Nasal Bony and Septal Cartilaginous Dimensions in Korean Adults

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To measure nasal length and keystone area on sagittal plane computed tomography.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records and radiographic data of 200 patients were evaluated. The length of the nasal dorsum and the bony dorsum, and the length and angle of cartilage overlap at the keystone were measured. Measurements were compared according to sex and the correlation between nasal length and patient height was analyzed.RESULTS: The mean length (mm) of the nasal dorsum was 46.1±3.7 in men and 41.0±2.7 in women (p<0.01). The mean length of the bony dorsum was 17.6±3.0 (38.1% of the nasal dorsal length) in men and 15.6±2.3 (37.9%) in women (p<0.01). The mean length of the cartilage overlap in the keystone area was 9.8±3.3 and 9.2±2.4 for men and women, respectively. The angle of cartilage overlap in the keystone area varied from 30.4 to 154.2 degrees. Patient height was positively correlated with both the length of the nasal dorsum and the bony dorsum (p<0.01 for both).CONCLUSION: The nose is longer in men than in women. We found a positive correlation between patient height and nasal length. The cartilaginous dorsum extends under the nasal bone for approximately 9.5 mm.