| Kiesselbach's plexus | |
|---|---|
 The bones and cartilage of thenasal septum, viewed from right side.Kiesselbach's plexus (not labelled) is in the anterior inferior part of the nasal septum known as Little's area. | |
| Details | |
| Location | Little's area ofnose |
| From | Anterior ethmoidal artery,sphenopalatine artery,greater palatine artery, septal branch ofsuperior labial artery,posterior ethmoidal artery |
| Supplies | Nasal septum |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Kiesselbach's plexus is ananastomotic arterial network (plexus) of four or fivearteries in thenose supplying thenasal septum. It lies in the anterior inferior part of the septum known asLittle's area,Kiesselbach's area, orKiesselbach's triangle. It is a common site for anteriornosebleeds.
Kiesselbach's plexus is an anastomosis of four or five arteries:
It runs vertically downwards just behind the columella, and crosses the floor of thenose. It joins the venous plexus on the lateral nasal wall.
Kiesselbach's plexus supplies blood to thenasal septum.[2]
Ninety percent ofnosebleeds (epistaxis) occur in Kiesselbach's plexus, whereas five to ten percent originate fromWoodruff's plexus.[3] It is exposed to the drying effect ofinhaled air.[3] It can also be damaged by trauma from afinger nail (nose picking), as it is fragile.[3][4] It is the usual site for nosebleeds in children and young adults.[3][5] Aphysician may use a nasal speculum to see that an anterior nosebleed comes from Kiesselbach's plexus.[6]
James Lawrence Little (1836–1885), anAmericansurgeon, first described the area in detail in 1879. Little described the area as being "about half an inch ... from the lower edge of the middle of the column [septum]".[7]
Kiesselbach's plexus is named afterWilhelm Kiesselbach (1839–1902), aGermanotolaryngologist who published a paper on the area in 1884. The area may be called Little's area,[4] Kiesselbach's area, or Kiesselbach's triangle.
A common mnemonic used to remember the arteries of the Kiesselbach's plexus is "Kiesselbach drives hisLexus with hisLEGS" (superiorLabial artery,anterior andposteriorEthmoid artery,Greater palatine artery,Sphenopalatine artery).
