Age-Related Changes in Nasal Septal Composition: A CT-Based Morphometric Analysis

INTRODUCTION: The nasal septum plays an important role in craniofacial development and rhinoplasty, but age-related changes in septal composition remain incompletely understood. Objectives & Hypotheses: To evaluate age-related morphometric changes in the nasal septum and test the hypothesis that septal composition shifts from cartilage to bone dominance with aging. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study (STROBE-compliant). METHODS: Facial CT scans from 200 patients were analyzed. Septal cartilage area(SCA), lamina perpendicularis area(LPA), vomer area(VA), total septum area(TSA), cartilage-to-bone ratio, and SCA/LPA ratio were measured and compared by age and sex. RESULTS: TSA increased until adolescence and remained stable thereafter. SCA declined after adolescence, whereas LPA increased until early adulthood. Cartilage dominance progressively decreased and stabilized after 30 years. Similar proportional trends were observed in both sexes. CONCLUSION: Nasal septum morphology undergoes a distinct age-related transition characterized by a shift from cartilage dominance to bony dominance, reaching equilibrium after early adulthood.