Overview
Kiesselbach’s plexus is a vascular network of the five arteries that supply the nasal septum. The arteries anastomose to form the plexus which is a common site for epistaxis (accounting for ~90% of cases). It lies in the anterior inferior part of the septum known as Little’s area (also Kiesselbach’s area, or Kiesselbach’s triangle). Its function is to facilitate heat exchange between air and blood supplied to the nasal cavity.
Components
Anterior ethmoidal artery
- Branch of the ophthalmic artery
- Enters the nasal cavity via the orbit and supplies the roof as well as the septal wall of the nasal cavity as it travels to Little’s area.
Posterior ethmoidal artery
- Branch of the ophthalmic artery
- Enters the nasal cavity via the orbit
- Somes sources do not include the posterior ethmoidal artery as part of Kiesselbach’s plexus
Sphenopalatine artery
- A terminal branch of the maxillary artery
- Enters the nasal cavity via the sphenopalatine foramen and supplies the septal wall of the cavity
Greater palatine artery (from the maxillary artery)
- A terminal branch of the maxillary artery
- Passes through the greater palatine foramen and travels along the hard palate to enter the nasal cavity via the incisive canal
Septal branch of the superior labial artery
- Branch of the superior labial artery, which is a branch of the facial artery
- Enters the nasal cavity through the nares