Skull (colored per bone)

Inferior nasal concha

Concha nasalis inferior

Origin

Independent paired facial bone attached to lateral wall of nasal cavity (conchal crest of maxilla and palatine bone)

Insertion

Projects horizontally and curved medially into the nasal cavity, defining the inferior nasal meatus

Function

Greatly increases mucosal surface area for humidifying, warming, and filtering inspired air; regulates airflow resistance via cavernous vascular erectile tissue (nasal cycle)

Innervation

Maxillary nerve (CN V2 via nasopalatine and posterior lateral nasal branches) and autonomic plexus from pterygopalatine ganglion

Movement & chain

Static bone with dynamic mucosal vasomotor engorgement

Palpation

Visualized directly during anterior rhinoscopy and nasal endoscopy

Clinical

Inferior turbinate hypertrophy (causing chronic nasal airway obstruction in allergic and vasomotor rhinitis); epistaxis; turbinoplasty / radiofrequency turbinate reduction.

Segmental innervation

Cranial Nerve V2 (Maxillary)

In clinical practice

Anterior rhinoscopy inspection, topical intranasal steroids, and ENT turbinoplasty surgical management

Region in the model

Skull (colored per bone)