Inferior nasal concha

Inferior nasal concha or inferior turbinate/turbinal

Medial wall of left orbit. (Inferior nasal concha visible in center in yellow.)

Figure 1: Lateral wall of right nasal cavity showing inferior concha in situ. (pink)
Details
Articulations Ethmoid, maxilla, lacrimal and palatine bone
Identifiers
Latin Concha nasi inferior,
concha nasalis inferior
Dorlands
/Elsevier
c_50/12253882
TA A02.1.08.001
A06.1.02.015
FMA 54736

Anatomical terms of bone

The inferior nasal concha (inferior turbinated bone or inferior turbinal/turbinate) is one of the turbinates in the nose. It extends horizontally along the lateral wall of the nasal cavity and consists of a lamina of spongy bone, curled upon itself like a scroll. The inferior nasal conchae are considered a pair of facial bones. They are also termed 'inferior nasal turbinates' because they function similar to that of a turbine: As the air passes through the turbinates, the air is churned against these mucosa-lined bones in order to receive warmth, moisture and cleansing. Superior to inferior nasal concha are the middle nasal concha and superior nasal concha which arise from the cranial portion of the skull. Hence, these two are considered as a part of the cranial bones.

It has two surfaces, two borders, and two extremities.

Structure

Surfaces

The medial surface is convex, perforated by numerous apertures, and traversed by longitudinal grooves for the lodgement of vessels.

The lateral surface is concave, and forms part of the inferior meatus.

Borders

Its upper border is thin, irregular, and connected to various bones along the lateral wall of the nasal cavity.

It may be divided into three portions: of these,

The inferior border is free, thick, and cellular in structure, more especially in the middle of the bone.

Extremities

Both extremities are more or less pointed, the posterior being the more tapering.

Development

The inferior nasal concha is ossified from a single center, which appears about the fifth month of fetal life in the lateral wall of the cartilaginous nasal capsule.

Additional images

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

    External links

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    See also

    This article uses anatomical terminology; for an overview, see Anatomical terminology.
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