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 nas ...

. 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 The inferior nasal concha (inferior turbinated bone or inferior turbinal/turbinate) is one of the three paired nasal conchae in the human nose, nose. It extends horizontally along the lateral wall of the nasal cavity and consists of a wikt:lam ...

(turbinate). The plexus contains both arteries and veins which lie in a thin mucosa. The major arteries supplying the plexus are the

sphenopalatine artery The sphenopalatine artery (nasopalatine artery) is an artery of the head, commonly known as the artery of epistaxis. It passes through the sphenopalatine foramen to reach the nasal cavity. It is the main artery of the nasal cavity. Course The sp ...

and

ascending pharyngeal artery The ascending pharyngeal artery is an artery of the neck that supplies the pharynx. Its named branches are the inferior tympanic artery, pharyngeal artery, and posterior meningeal artery. inferior tympanic artery, and the meningeal branches (i ...

. The internal maxillary vein is also within the plexus.

Clinical significance

Bleeding

nosebleed A nosebleed, also known as epistaxis, is an instance of bleeding from the nose. Blood can flow down into the stomach, and cause nausea and vomiting. In more severe cases, blood may come out of both nostrils. Rarely, bleeding may be so significa ...

(epistaxis) usually occurs in the anterior part of the nose from an area known as

Kiesselbach's plexus Kiesselbach's plexus is an anastomotic arterial network (plexus) of four or five arteries in the nose supplying the nasal septum. It lies in the anterior inferior part of the septum known as Little's area, Kiesselbach's area, or Kiesselbach's tri ...

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 Anatomy named for one who described it