Congenital Bony Nasal Cavity Deformities

Abstract

Although the most common form of nasal obstruction in neonates is soft tissue edema, congenital bony nasal deformities are being recognized as an important cause of newborn airway obstruction. In addition to the well described choanal atresia, CT imaging of the newborn in respiratory distress reveals two other forms of bony nasal cavity deformities: nasal pyriform aperture stenosis and nasal cavity stenosis. All of the three types of bony nasal cavity deformities have characteristic anatomical features, are associated with distinctive congenital anomalies, and are postulated to have differing embryological causes. Five patients with congenital bony nasal cavity deformities are presented. These cases illustrate the clinical and radiological presentation of varied types of congenital nasal cavity obstruction as well as the criteria used to guide clinical management.