Inferior nasal conchae

The inferior nasal concha (Concha Nasalis Inferior; Inferior Turbinated Bone) extends horizontally along the lateral wall of the nasal cavity [Fig. 1] and consists of a lamina of spongy bone, curled upon itself like a scroll. It has two surfaces, two borders, and two extremities.

The medial surface [Fig. 2] is convex, perforated by numerous apertures, and traversed by longitudinal grooves for the lodgement of vessels. The lateral surface is concave [Fig. 3], and forms part of the inferior meatus. 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 anterior articulates with the conchal crest of the maxilla; the posterior with the conchal crest of the palatine; the middle portion presents three well-marked processes, which vary much in their size and form. Of these, the anterior or lacrimal process is small and pointed and is situated at the junction of the anterior fourth with the posterior three-fourths of the bone: it articulates, by its apex, with the descending process of the lacrimal bone, and, by its margins, with the groove on the back of the frontal process of the maxilla, and thus assists in forming the canal for the nasolacrimal duct. Behind this process a broad, thin plate, the ethmoidal process, ascends to join the uncinate process of the ethmoid; from its lower border a thin lamina, the maxillary process, curves downward and lateralward; it articulates with the maxilla and forms a part of the medial wall of the maxillary sinus. The inferior border is free, thick, and cellular in structure, more especially in the middle of the bone. Both extremities are more or less pointed, the posterior being the more tapering.

Ossification

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.

Articulations

The inferior nasal concha articulates with four bones: the ethmoid, maxilla, lacrimal, and palatine.
Figure 1 : Lateral wall of right nasal cavity showing inferior concha in situ.
Figure 2 : Right inferior nasal concha. Medial surface.
Figure 3 : Right inferior nasal concha. Lateral surface.

This article is based on an entry from the 1918 edition of Gray's Anatomy, which is in the public domain. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.