Nasal Conchae: Anatomy, Structure And Function Notes

Inferior Nasal Conchae

Inferior Nasal Conchae Terminology

‘Concha’ is a Latin word that means ‘shell’. Conchae (superior, middle, and inferior) are bracket-like projections of thin (like eggshell) bones from the lateral wall of the nose.

Inferior Nasal Conchae Location

An inferior concha is an independent bone whose long axis occupies the whole length of the lower part of the lateral wall of each half of the nasal cavity.

Inferior Nasal Conchae Features And Attachments

Each inferior concha has two ends (anterior and posterior), two surfaces (medial and lateral), and two borders (superior and inferior).

Inferior Nasal Conchae Ends

1. Anterior End
   • It is pointed and directed forward.
2. Posterior End
   • It is directed backward and is more pointed and tapering.

Inferior Nasal Conchae Surfaces

• Medial Surface
  1. It is convex.
  2. It has numerous apertures and grooves for vessels.
• Lateral Surface
  1. It is concave.
  2. It forms the medial wall of the inferior meatus of the nose.

Inferior Nasal Conchae Borders

1. Superior Border

1. 1. It is thin and irregular.
   2. It is divided into three parts:

• Anterior Part: This articulates with the conchal crest of the maxilla.
• Posterior Part: This articulates with the conchal crest of the palatine bone.
• Middle Region: This part possesses three processes which are as follows from anterior to posterior:
• 1. Lacrimal Process: It is an upward projection to articulate the descending process of the lacrimal bone.
  2. Maxillary Process: It is a curved downward projection that articulates with the nasal surface of the maxilla and the lower part of the anterior border of the perpendicular plate of the palatine bone.
  3. Ethmoidal process: It is an upward projection to articulate with the uncinate process of the ethmoid.

2. Inferior Border

• It is free.
• It is thick.

Inferior Nasal Conchae Ossification

1. It develops from the lowest part of the lateral region of the cartilaginous nasal capsule.

2. The center of ossification appears during the 5th month of intrauterine life.

Inferior Nasal Conchae Applied Anatomy

Inferior nasal concha is at great risk in cases of mid-facial injuries.

1. Inferior concha receives adequate blood supply from periosteal arteries and, therefore, all the fragments of the fractured bone retain a periosteal blood supply.
2. Inferior concha is clothed in nasal mucosa over large areas of its surfaces and, therefore, the fractures usually open to the nasal cavity with potential risk of infection.
3. Infracture of the inferior concha is sometimes needed during the management of congenital lacrimal defects.