The inferior nasal concha is a paired bone in the form of a horizontally curved plate situated in the lateral wall of the nasal cavity.

It is located in the sagittal plane. Its superior border is connected to the maxilla and palatine bone. The inferior nasal concha also articulates with the lacrimal and ethmoid bones. It separates the middle nasal meatus from the inferior nasal meatus.

Borders

It has two borders - superior and inferior. Its inferior border is free, very well-vascularized, thick and inrolled, and curved upwards.

Surfaces

The inferior nasal concha contains two surfaces, named the medial and lateral. The medial surface (also called the septal) is convex, perforated, and contains longitudinal grooves from the blood vessels and nerves going onto it, while the lateral surface is concave and smooth, and it participates in forming the inferior nasal meatus.

Extremities

Besides borders and surfaces, it also contains two extremities - the narrower ends of the bone - the anterior and posterior. The posterior is being narrower than the anterior. The anterior end is rounded, while the posterior is more pointed. The anterior end is attached to the frontal process of the maxilla, while the posterior end is attached to the perpendicular plate of the palatine bone.

Processes

The superior border of the inferior nasal concha contains three processes:

Maxillary process - located in the middle of the superior border; it articulates with the maxillary hiatus;
Lacrimal process - located anteriorly, articulates with the descending process of the lacrimal bone; this articulation participates in forming the nasolacrimal canal;
Palatine process - located posteriorly; articulates with the ethmoidal labyrinth.

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Inferior nasal concha