Alterations in serum iron markers in allergic fungal rhinosinusitis

Abstract

Background The nasal septal body is located superior to the inferior turbinate and consists of septal cartilage thicker than the rest of septal mucosa. Object To clear the ultrastructural relation between nasal septal body and inferior turbinate using electron microscope. Patients and methods Biopsies of the nasal septal body and inferior turbinate were stained with hematoxylin–eosin and with Masson’s trichrome stain and Periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) stain. Photomicrography with morphometric analysis was used to determine the relative area proportions of each tissue type. Results Nasal septal body has a prominence of glandular tissues with a mean proportion of 19.89%, in contrast to inferior turbinate, which had 7.89%. Inferior turbinate was found to have a prominence of collagen fibers with a mean proportion of 26.58%, in contrast to the septal body, which had 13.76%. By electron microscope, epithelium of the septal body had a large number of cilia and microvilli, the junctional complex between the cells were the tightly sealed zone (tight junction), while inferior turbinate mucosa had less number of cilia than that of septal body epithelial cells. Conclusion The presence of venous sinusoids and abundant seromucinous glands in the nasal septal swell body and its histological and ultrastructural similarity to inferior turbinate should guide to surgically reduce nasal septal body volume. Keywords: inferior turbinate, nasal septal body, nasal septum, erectile tissue.