The ENT Resident logo
All ENT Notes & Lectures

Cottle’s Areas

Buy my Premium ENT Notes

Instant access to 200+ high-yield ENT notes. Your purchase includes all future updates.

💡 The content below is a free outline of my YouTube video and notes. For my complete handwritten notes, please use the purchase links above.

👉 Preview sample of my Premium ENT Notes

👃 Cottle's Areas of the Nose

Cottle's classification divides the nasal cavity into five distinct anatomical zones to help assess and diagnose causes of nasal obstruction.

This is a frequently asked viva question in ENT practicals.


🔍 Cottle's Areas

AreaAnatomical Region
Area 1Nostril (External nasal opening)
Area 2Nasal valve area – the narrowest part of the nasal airway
Area 3Region beneath the bony and cartilaginous vault (also called the attic)
Area 4Anterior nasal cavity including the heads of the turbinates and infundibulum
Area 5Posterior nasal cavity, including the posterior ends of the turbinates

🩺 Clinical Relevance of Cottle's Areas

  • Helps localize site of obstruction in patients with nasal blockage.

  • Important in planning functional nasal surgery like septoplasty or functional rhinoplasty.

  • Useful in performing and interpreting Cottle’s Test, which specifically assesses Area 2 (Nasal valve area).

~~~~~~~~

📝 All the topics and questions mentioned in this post are explained in detail in my Premium ENT Notes - which are designed for clinical understanding and exam success.

Residency is hard enough. Studying for it shouldn't be 😊

Buy my Premium ENT Notes

Instant access to 200+ high-yield ENT notes. Your purchase includes all future updates.

~~~~~~~~

Related ENT Notes & Lectures