Woodruff's plexus was discovered by George H. Woodruff in 1949. The plexus is located below the posterior end of the inferior concha, on the lateral wall of 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 nasal c ...

. He described it as the ''naso-nasopharyngeal plexus''.

Structure

Woodruff's plexus is located on the lateral wall of the

below the posterior end of the inferior nasal concha (turbinate). The plexus is of large thin-walled veins which lie in a thin mucosa.

Clinical significance

Bleeding

A nosebleed (epistaxis) usually occurs in the anterior part of the nose from an area known as Kiesselbach's plexus which consists of arteries. Woodruff's plexus is a venous plexus in the posterior part and a nosebleed here accounts for only between 5 and 10 per cent of nosebleeds. Older adults are most often affected.

Treatment

Posterior nasal packing is needed for posterior epistaxis.

References

{{Reflist Nose disorders