The Influence of Partial Resections of the Nasal Septal Cartilage on the Growth of the Upper Jaw and the Nose: an Experimental Study in Rabbits

After birth the facial skeleton grows more, and over a longer period, than the neurocranium. The facial skeleton shows an extra growth in comparison with the latter. In young rabbits the dorso-ventral continuity of the septal cartilage was interrupted by various partial resections. It appeared that a discontinuity of the septal cartilage does not prevent all growth of the nose and maxilla but interferes with their extra growth, in particular the lengthening of the nose and the upper jaw and the postnatal ventral displacement of the molar complex and maxilla.