The cartilaginous nasal dorsum and the postnatal growth of the nose

Until now the numerous articles about nasal surgery in children and the associated\neweriments have paid little or no attention to the cartilaginous nasal dorsum. Yet the\nimportance of the upper lateral cartilages for the shape of the nose is well known to all\nwho do nasal surgery in adult patients. Inadequate correction of asymmetries of these\nthin, cartilaginous, plate-like structures leads inevitably to external deviations of the\nnose.\nMoreover, there is no detailed description of the upper lateral cartilages in children to\nbe found in the literature. It has apparently been assumed that the anatomy of a child's\nnose is identical to that of an adult.\nConsequently, with respect to nasal surgery in children the following questions have to\nbe considered:\n1. What is the anatomy of the cartilaginous nasal skeleton and, in particular, the\ncartilaginous nasal dorsum in children?\n2. What is the role of the cartilaginous nasal dorsum (upper lateral cartilages) in the\npostnatal growth of the nose?\nThe first question is dealt with in the chapters 2 and 3, the second in the chapters 10, 11,\n12 and 14. A general discussion will follow in chapter 15.