Kiesselbach's plexus

The bones and cartilage of the nasal septum-- viewed from right side. Kiesselbach's plexus (not labelled) is the anterior part of the nasal septum where several arteries anastomose.

Kiesselbach's area, also Kiesselbach's plexus, Kiesselbach's triangle, and Little's area, is a region in the anteroinferior part of the nasal septum, where four arteries anastomose to form a vascular plexus called Kiesselbach's plexus. The arteries are ^[1]

• anterior ethmoid artery
• great palatine artery
• sphenopalatine artery
• superior labial artery

Significance

Little's area is a usual site for epistaxis as it is exposed to drying effect of inspiratory current. Ninety percent of nose bleeds (epistaxis) arise from Kiesselbach's area, where branches of the sphenopalatine artery (from maxillary), greater palatine (from maxillary), anterior/posterior ethmoidal (from ophthalmic), and superior labial (from facial) arteries converge.^[2][3]

History

Kiesselbach's plexus is named after Wilhelm Kiesselbach (1839-1902) a German otolaryngologist.

See also

• Terms for anatomical location

References

1. ^ "Little's area of nasal septum". lifehugger. pp. 1. http://mc.lifehugger.com/moc/554/littles-area-nasal-septum. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
2. ^ Doyle DE. Anterior epistaxis: a new nasal tampon for fast, effective control. Laryngoscope. 1986 Mar;96(3):279-81.PMID 3951304.
3. ^ http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/835134-overview

External links

• Epistaxis - utmb.edu
• Nose Anatomy - emedicine.com
• Nasal Anatomy - fpnotebook.com