The Nasal Index of South Indian Skulls.

Analysis of nasal parameters and nasal index of dry crania in Southern Nigeria

“…Landmark for measuring nasal breadth was however constant. Some authors [2] measured nasal height as the distance from the highest point of piriform aperture to the nasospinale, whereas some other authors (including the present study) measured nasal height as the distance from nasion to nasospinale. The values that will be obtained from the former will be lower (therefore giving higher nasal index) than the values that will be obtained from the later.…”

“…It is an early tool of physical anthropology [1]. The piriform aperture is the pear shaped anterior nasal opening, which is bounded by the nasal bones superiorly, palatal process of the maxilla inferiorly and frontal process of maxilla laterally [2,3]. Nasal anthropometry is therefore the study of size, proportion and shape of the nose or the underlying bone.…”

“…The clinical importance of dimensions of anterior nasal aperture is evident in its significance in facial reconstructive surgery, neurosurgery and otorhinolaryngology [6,10]. It has been shown that surgical or traumatic alterations of the piriform aperture may alter the respiratory mechanics [2,3]. Assessment of the nasal bone and piriform aperture is done preoperatively to estimate the pattern of the nose, soft tissues as well as skeletal changes essential for an improved surgical outcome [13].…”