Every human has two nasal bones lying in the upper-middle part of the nose. Nasal bones are small and oblong but have different size and shape in different individuals. These bones lie side by side and at their junction form a bridge, which forms the upper part of the nose. Sometimes due to some traumatic events like sports injuries, car accidents and others, you may break your nasal bone, also known as nasal bone fracture.

Nasal bone fractures are the most common facial fracture among younger children and based on the severity of the injury, the person may get treatment options ranging from ice pack to surgery. If you or your loved ones suffer from a broken nose, get nasal bone fracture treatment in Turkiye hospitals at affordable rates.

Anatomy Of Nose

Your nose is the central part of your face, which determines your looks to a large extent. No matter your height stops growing during adolescence, your nose keeps on growing till your adulthood.

External Nose

Externally, the nose has a bony and a cartilage part. Basically, your nose has three main vaults. Out of these only the upper vault is a bony one while the two others, middle and lower, are made of cartilages. Nasal bones are present in this upper vault and combine with frontal processes of maxilla bone to form this bony vault. It’s the nasal bone that forms the roof of the nose while frontal processes of lacrimal and maxilla bone form the sides of the nose.

Nasal Cavity

The internal part of your nose comprises the nasal cavity. There are two nasal cavities that lie side and side and open to the face through two nostrils. Towards the posterior side, these cavities open into the nasopharynx through apertures called choanae. There are 12 cranial bones that combine to form the bony structure of the nasal cavity.

There are three bony shelves called nasal conchae that divide two nasal cavities into four air channels. These bones are inferior nasal conchae bone, middle nasal conchae bone, and superior nasal conchae bone.

Nasal bones are the strongest and hardest part of your nose and thus they play an important role in supporting your nasal septum. It also protects the anterior ethmoidal nerve and several arteries that run underneath the nasal bones.

Nasal Bone Fracture

As already told, nasal bones are the most common facial bone fractures in younger children. But as compared to adults, children are less prone to fracture as their proportion of cartilage area is more than bony structure.

Broken nose can be the result of

• Sudden falls
• Car accidents
• Fights
• Weightlifting
• Sports injuries
• Getting punched in the nose

Nasal Bone Fracture Symptoms

Injuries in your nose bones can lead to pain and swelling but how will you know that it is the case of a broken nose. Here are some symptoms associated with broken nose.

• Tender feeling on touching the nose
• Swelling around your nose
• Feeling severe pain
• Nose bleeding
• Crooked nose
• Bruises around nose or eyes
• Feeling nasal passage as blocked
• Difficulty in breathing
• Mucous discharge

Broken Nose itself are not very severe but they can lead to several other complications as nasal bones protect several nerves and arteries to different areas. Sometimes, blunt force on your nasal bone can damage your ethmoid bone or orbital bones. Ethmoid bone is the bone that separates the nasal cavity from the brain. Any damage to this bone can lead to brain injuries also.

Other complications associated with broken nose are:

• Septal hematoma
• Lacrimal duct injury
• Damage to cribriform plate leading to fluid leakage
• Nasal infections

If you undergo any of these symptoms, you must seek nasal bone fracture treatment in Turkiye or Istanbul hospitals immediately.

Nasal Bone Fracture Treatment

When you visit a healthcare professional with nasal bone injuries, he will listen to your symptoms and analyze your nasal cavity to diagnose a broken nose. The nasal bone fracture ICD 10 code is S02.2XXA and falls under the category of poisoning, injury and certain other results of external causes.

Examining your nasal cavity can help diagnose the bone fracture. But if your healthcare provider suspects any facial trauma, he may suggest imaging tests including nasal bone ultrasound, X-rays and CT scan.

Your nasal bone treatment in Turkiye or Istanbul hospitals may include:

Ice pack or medicines

If your broken nose is not too much and there is no misshapen nose, ice therapy may work. Or the doctors may give you some over the counter medications to relieve your pain.

Manual realignment

Sometimes, the bone in your nose gets deformed due to fracture and it needs realignment. You will be given local anesthesia and then healthcare providers will gently push your the bone and cartilage to realign them. However, before the realignment process, your swelling should subside. After realignment, your doctors may put gauze or temporary splint to keep your bone in place. This will get removed in a week or two.

Draining septal hematoma

Nasal injuries can also lead to hematoma of your septum, which means a pool of blood collects into one or both sides of the septum. If hematoma is not treated, it can create a hole in your septum. Thug to avoid complications associated with nasal hematoma, doctors drain that accumulated blood.

Nasal surgeries

For a severely broken nose, you may need surgery to realign it and to revive your normal breathing. There are two types of surgical procedures for broken nose.

Septoplasty:

Septoplasty helps in reshaping your bone and cartilage. For this, the surgeon removes the same parts of cartilage and bone and realign the underlying structures. It also helps in repairing any holes due to injury.

Rhinoplasty:

In this surgical procedure, the bone and cartilage are rearranged to give a new shape to your nose. Normally, people undergo this cosmetic procedure to improve their nose appearance.

A nasal bone fracture is not an emergency situation in itself but you should seek medical attention to avoid long term complications. Mild nasal fracture may not require any treatment. However, whether you undergo treatment or not, your nasal bone fracture may take around six weeks to recover.