Posterior process of nasal septal cartilage
Processus posterior cartilaginis septi nasi
- Latin synonym: Processus sphenoidalis; Processus sphenoideus
- Synonym: Posterior process of septal nasal cartilage
- Related terms: Posterior process; Sphenoid process; Posterior process; Sphenoid process (Septal nasal cartilage)
Definition
The posterior process of the nasal septal cartilage (Sphenoidal process of the septal cartilage; Posterior extension of the quadrangular cartilage (PEQC); Posterior prolongation of the cartilaginous nasal septum) is a narrow strip of cartilage that extends posteriorly from the main body of the quadrangular (septal) cartilage, projecting beyond the bony-cartilaginous junction into the region between the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid bone superiorly and the vomer inferiorly.
Embryological and developmental basis
During nasal septal development, the bony septum ossifies from cranial to caudal and from ventral to dorsal, progressively forming the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid bone and the vomer. The posterior process represents a residual strip of the original cartilaginous septum that persists between these two ossifying components. It is therefore a remnant of incomplete or delayed endochondral ossification of the nasal septum.
The mean length of the posterior extension beyond the bony-cartilaginous junction is approximately 25-30 mm (range ~18-42 mm), with a mean height of approximately 4.2-4.3 mm and a mean width of approximately 1.1-1.5 mm.
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