Abstract

CARVALHO, Maria de Fátima Pereira de; ALVES, Adriana Leal  and  BARROS, Mirna Duarte. Study on the Morphology and Frequency of the Vomeronasal Organ in Humans. Int. J. Morphol. [online]. 2008, vol.26, n.2, pp.283-288. ISSN 0717-9502.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0717-95022008000200006.

The vomeronasal organ was first described in humans in the seventeenth century. It has a chemosensory function and is found in the mucosa of the nasal septum of mammals and consists of an opening in the mucosa at the base of the nasal septum. For this study, 143 individulas undergoing nasofibrolaryngoscopy were studied, and presence of the vomeronasal organ was considered to be a finding from the examination. Three morphological types of vomeronasal organ were observed: fissure, fossette and circular. The total prevalence of the vomeronasal organ among these patients was 28% (40 individulas ). The prevalence of the vomeronasal organ in this study population is compatible with what has been reported in other studies. The forms of the vomeronasal organ can be characterized: fissure, fossette and circular. The fossette type is commonest in males and the fissure among females.

Keywords : Vomeronasal organ; Human; Anatomy.

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