Where is the ethmoid located

Please Note: You can also scroll through stacks with your mouse wheel or the keyboard arrow keys. Updating… Please wait.

Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again. Thank you for updating your details. Log In. Sign Up. Become a Gold Supporter and see no ads. Log in Sign up. Articles Cases Courses Quiz. About Recent Edits Go ad-free. Edit article. View revision history Report problem with Article. Citation, DOI and article data. Jones, J. Ethmoid bone. Reference article, Radiopaedia. URL of Article. Gross anatomy The ethmoid bone consists of four parts: horizontal cribriform plate vertical perpendicular plate 2 lateral masses labyrinths The horizontal plate features include: foramina in cribriform plate: for olfactory nerve filaments 20 , olfactory bulb lies in the olfactory fossa crista galli L: rooster's crest : thick, smooth triangular process, attachment for falx cerebri nasal slits: anteriorly, passage of anterior ethmoidal nerve The vertical plate forms the part of the bony nasal septum : anterior border articulates with frontal bone and crests of nasal bones posterior border features the sphenoidal crest which articulates with the vomer Labyrinths 2 house anterior and posterior ethmoidal air cells.

Gray's anatomy 39e. Churchill Livingstone. Sinus cavities in the ethmoidal labyrinth help serve many important functions, including:. The nasal conchae that the ethmoid forms allow air to circulate and become humidified as it travels from your nose on the way into your lungs. The mucus that is produced in the sinus cavities lines this part of your nose, which also serves as a defense mechanism by trapping any particles that may cause illness or other reactions.

Arteries that flow to your nose also travel through several of the channels that exist in the ethmoid bone, which serves to protect these arteries from trauma. Due to its central location in the face, the ethmoid bone is prone to fracture.

However, because there are other bones around it, the ethmoid bone is rarely fractured by itself. If fractured, it is typically part of a complex NOE nasoorbitoethmoid fracture. This type of fracture is usually from blunt-force trauma as you might have in an automotive accident or contact-sports injury. Because the nasal , orbital, and ethmoid bones are highly vascularized, meaning that there are a lot of blood vessels in this area, severe nosebleeds epistaxis usually occurs with an NOE fracture.

Other symptoms associated with an NOE fracture include:. When visiting a healthcare provider to be evaluated for sinusitis, you may never be told which sinus es are inflamed or infected. However, the type of symptoms you experience may be an indicator of which sinus cavity is causing you discomfort. In ethmoid sinusitis, common symptoms include pain behind and between the eyes and along the sides of the nose, swelling of the eyelids, and loss of smell olfactory dysfunction.

A deviated septum may involve part of the perpendicular plate. Depending on the severity of your case, you may not notice any symptoms. However, more severe cases may cause nosebleeds and difficulty breathing through one nostril.

Ethmoid cancer is very rare and is typically categorized as a paranasal malignancy. Prevalence is low in comparison to the more common paranasal malignancies in the maxillary or nasal sinuses. As in all cancers, early detection improves rates of survival.

If ethmoid cancer remains localized, 82 out of people are still alive beyond five years. However, if ethmoid cancer has metastasized, or spread to other parts of the body, only 43 to 52 out of people will surpass five years of survival.

If you suffer trauma to the face and have symptoms of NOE fracture, you should seek medical attention immediately. Rapid diagnosis of NOE fracture with a thorough exam to determine if surgery is required is important to optimal recovery. Most sinusitis is caused by a virus, so antibiotics will generally not be recommended. If you are immunocompromised, your risk will be higher for having either a bacterial or a fungal sinus infection. If your healthcare provider is concerned that polyps are the underlying cause of your symptoms, a computed tomography CT scan will likely be ordered.

Your healthcare provider may also use a fiber optic scope to visualize inside your nose and sinus cavities. Treatment of polyps in the ethmoid sinuses or correction of deviated septums can be performed surgically.

Members of your interdisciplinary team may include:. For this surgery, you can anticipate a small incision on the upper side of your nose near your upper eyelid. By removing a small part of the bone that is part of your orbital bones, your surgeon will be able to remove the tumor.

If the tumor has spread into the ethmoid sinus cavity, the base of the skull, or to the brain, your surgical team will involve both an otolaryngologist and a neurosurgeon due to the ethmoid's crista galli anchoring tissue that surrounds the brain as well as the risk for neurological issues if complications occur. This surgery is referred to as craniofacial resection. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life.

Bell DJ, Jones J. Labyrinth of ethmoid bone. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Pearls of nasoorbitoethmoid trauma management. Semin Plast Surg. Approach for naso-orbito-ethmoidal fracture. Arch Craniofac Surg.

Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School. Acute Sinusitis. Jan Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Health. Deviated Septum. May American Cancer Society. Revised: April 19, Survival Rates for Nasal and Paranasal Cancers. Apr 19, Brook I. Microbiology of sinusitis. Proc Am Thorac Soc. Nasal Polyps. June 28, Who treats nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancers?

Georgakopoulos B, Le PH. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Nasal Concha.