Functional morphology of nasal blood vessels in humans.

"Secretion" and "obstruction" as predominant clinical symptoms in rhinology affect a great number of patients with disorders of the nose. According to clinical experience as well as morphological investigations, the endonasal vascular system is most likely to be involved in these functional mechanisms. In the present study, we report morphological findings on the angioarchitecture of human nasal mucosa. Meticulous investigation of the structure and ultrastructure of nasal mucosal capillaries revealed differences in the appearance of the endothelial lining. Especially the morphological feature of attenuated fenestrated endothelia in these vessels might be correlated with the functional behaviour under various physiological and pathological conditions. Inspection of the vascular wall of nasal swell bodies revealed differences in the orientation as well as the shape of muscle cells in different parts of this vascular system. The functional role of special morphological features known as muscular bolsters and intervascular muscle fibres for the swelling mechanism of the nasal mucosa is emphasized. Our results enabled us to define the muscular structures that are most probably responsible for constriction and dilatation of nasal swell bodies.