[Morphometric study of the piririform aperture].

The piriform aperture or enter orifice of the nose may be too small, creating an obstacle for inspirated flow. The functional disturbance realised has been described as the "syndrome of aspiration of the nasal ala". The present study has been made on 100 skulls. We have measured the dimensions of the piriform aperture, calculated a "form index" and searched a correlation between the morphology of this aperture and the morphology of the skull. It appears that the form and the dimensions of the piriform aperture depend on the ethnic origin and not on the cranial anthropologic type. The surface of the piriform aperture can be calculated on a radiological examination. The dimensions and the form of the piriform aperture must be correlated with the morphology of the nasal pyramid. Knowledge of the dimensions of the piriform aperture is useful for diagnosis of functional rhinologic disturbances.