Bifid Nose

A bifid nose is a relatively uncommon malformation that is characterized by the nose being divided into two parts. There is a large degree of variability in the severity of the condition, ranging from a minimally noticeable groove down the center of the nasal tip to a complete clefting of the underlying bones and cartilage, resulting in 2 complete half noses. It is often associated with hypertelorbitism and midline clefts of the lip. The airway usually is adequate despite the cosmetic appearance associated with the condition. Both autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant inheritance of a bifid nose has been observed. It may also occur with frontonasal dysplasia (a condition in with several possible findings limited to the head and neck), for which several inheritance patterns have been reported. Treatment typically consists of surgical reconstruction to repair the malformation.