[Scanning electron microscopic observation of the nasal mucosa microvasculature]

The normal microvasculature of a rat nasal mucosa was investigated in microcorrosion casts viewed under a scanning electron microscope. The nasal mucosa microvasculature was composed of arterioles, venules, capillaries and cavernous sinuses. Both arterioles and venules ran parallel to the long axis of the nasal concha. The capillaries and cavernous sinuses were particularly abundant and interconnected by means of numerous short anastomoses to form a rich dense network. A characteristic feature of the nasal mucosa vasculature was that the capillaries possessed a fenestrated structure, the venules and arterioles were porous, and the surface of cavernous sinuses formed a three dimensional lace-work structure.