A rhinoscope (or nasoscope) is a thin, tube-like instrument used to examine the inside of the

nose A nose is a sensory organ and respiratory structure in vertebrates. It consists of a nasal cavity inside the head, and an external nose on the face. The external nose houses the nostrils, or nares, a pair of tubes providing airflow through the ...

. A rhinoscope has a light and a lens for viewing and may have a tool to remove tissue.

Types

Rhinoscopy is performed by two procedures. * Anterior rhinoscopy using a nasal speculum * Posterior rhinoscopy using an

endoscopic An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are insert ...

rhinoscope

Anterior rhinoscopy

In anterior rhinoscopy, the rhinoscope is advanced through the nose to examine the

nasal cavity The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face. The nasal septum divides the cavity into two cavities, also known as fossae. Each cavity is the continuation of one of the two nostrils. The nas ...

Posterior rhinoscopy

In posterior rhinoscopy, the endoscope is advanced through the big mouth to examine the back of the nasal cavity above the

soft palate The soft palate (also known as the velum, palatal velum, or muscular palate) is, in mammals, the soft biological tissue, tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is part of the palate of the mouth; the other part is ...

, and can be used to visualise the

oropharynx The pharynx (: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the esophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs respectively). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its ...

below that. Structures seen in posterior rhinoscopy: posterior border of

nasal septum The nasal septum () separates the left and right airways of the Human nose, nasal cavity, dividing the two nostrils. It is Depression (kinesiology), depressed by the depressor septi nasi muscle. Structure The fleshy external end of the nasal s ...

, fossa of Roosenmuller,

eustachian tube The Eustachian tube (), also called the auditory tube or pharyngotympanic tube, is a tube that links the nasopharynx to the middle ear, of which it is also a part. In adult humans, the Eustachian tube is approximately long and in diameter. It ...

opening and upper surface of

References

*"Rhinoscop

The College of Veterinary Medicine/UT, retrieved Feb. 2013.

External links

Rhinoscope
entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms Medical equipment Optical instruments Rhinology {{otorhinolaryngology-stub