Congenital Nasal Anomalies

Congenital nasal anomalies have a relatively low incidence, but highlighting its basic features is critical for appropriate management of these anomalies. Congenital nasal anomalies aaare classified into the following categories; Aplasia, hypoplasia, clefts, neoplasms and associated syndromes. Choanal atresia is one of the most common anomalies and the mixed bony and membranous type enjoys the highest incidence among cases. Bilateral choanal atresia is an airway emergency at birth while repair of unilateral choanal atresia is usually delayed to the pre-school age. Endoscopic transnasal repair is the primary procedure to treat choanal atresia. Endoscopic repair should be done within a “Working Zone” to avoid injury of the important surrounding structures. Nasal clefts are usually associated with cleft lip and palate and the worse the cleft lip, the worse the cleft nose. Nasal dermoid is the most common midline nasal cyst and usually associated with midline pit. In midline nasal lesions, a magnetic resonance imaging is mandatory to detect any associated intracranial connection.