Skip to main content

What is the structure of the nasal cavity?

The nasal cavity is a continuation of each nostril, and it is the space which lies behind and above the nose. The cavity is divided into two by a wall of cartilage called the nasal septum. The nasal septum continues towards the back in the form of a bony structure called the bony septum made up of four different bones. Large deviations of the nasal septum sometimes result in narrowing of the nasal cavity.


The forward section of this cavity within and above each nostril is referred to as the vestibule and behind each vestibule, along the outer wall are three structures called the nasal conchae or turbinate which hang over an air passage.


Functionally, the nasal cavity has two areas. The area above the uppermost concha is called the olfactory region and it is responsible for smell. A portion of the lining contains nerve cells with projections called dendrites which dissolve microscopic particles from odour-emitting substances that chemically stimulate the olfactory nerve cells.


The rest of the nasal cavity is the respiratory area. The respiratory region is lined by mucus membrane which secretes mucus from its cells to help trap dust and other particles. Each side of the cavity is surrounded by paired sinuses called paranasal sinuses that drain into the nose.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is 'efficate' a word in English?

I routinely hear the word "efficate" being used. For example, "The most powerful way to efficate a change in the system is to participate." I do not find entries for this word in common English dictionaries, but I do not have an unabridged dictionary. I have checked the OED (I'm not sure if it is considered unabridged), and it has no entry for "efficate". It does have an entry for "efficiate", which is used in the same way. Wordnik has an entry for "efficate" with over 1800 hits, thus providing some evidence for the frequency of use. I personally like the word and find the meaning very clear and obvious when others use it. If it's not currently an "officially documented" word, perhaps its continued use will result in it being better documented.
Post a Comment
Read more