Nasal turbinate Nasal conchae Nasal turbinates. URL of Article. Gross anatomy Each inferior nasal concha is a separate facial bone articulating with its respective maxilla and palatine bone.
Each pair is composed of one concha that curls medially and downwards on either side of the nasal cavity, separated by the septum 1 : inferior conchae : these are the largest conchae and may be as long as the index finger; they are responsible for the majority of airflow direction, humidification, heating and filtering of air inhaled through the nose middle conchae : small and usually as long as the 5th finger; they project downwards over the openings of the maxillary and ethmoid sinuses and act as buffers to protect the sinuses from pressurised nasal airflow superior conchae : the smallest of the conchae, connected to the middle conchae by nerve-endings and serves to protect the olfactory bulb supreme conchae : variably present, it is usually very small and is the highest of all conchae.
Gray's Anatomy. Churchill Livingstone. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon 2. Variant anatomy of nasal turbinates: supreme, superior and middle conchae bullosae, paradoxical superior and inferior turbinates, and middle accessory turbinate.
Rom J Morphol Embryol. Pubmed citation. Related articles: Anatomy: Head and neck. Promoted articles advertising. Figure 1 Figure 1. Figure 2 Figure 2. These structures are responsible for warming, humidifying, and filtering the air we breathe.
Normally there are three turbinates including the superior upper , middle, and inferior lower turbinates. However, occasionally you can have a fourth turbinate called the supreme turbinate which is situated higher than the superior turbinate. In between each turbinate is space known as meati , each with a name that coincides with the name of the turbinate that is directly above the space.
These spaces form our nasal passageways which direct air flow through our nose. As noted, the nasal turbinates are broken down into three sections, the upper, middle, and lower conchae. The inferior meatus is the space between the floor of the nasal cavity and the inferior turbinate.
This is the largest of the air spaces. This passageway serves multiple purposes:. The middle meatus is the nasal passageway that lies between the inferior meatus and the middle meatus.
This space is important for:. The Superior meatus is the nasal space that lies between the middle meatus and the superior meatus. This is normally the top-most nasal passageway, however, occasionally there is also a supreme turbinate that is above the superior turbinate.
Functions of this passageway include:. The upper and middle conchae are part of the ethmoid bone, but the lower conchae is an independent structure. Every one to seven hours, your nasal passageways undergo a cycle of constricting shrinking one turbinate while the other turbinate swells.
This subsequently makes some of the passageways narrow, restricting airflow, while enlarging the other airway and improving airflow. During nasal cycle changes, you will not feel congested since your overall airway resistance has not changed. The purpose of the nasal cycle is not fully understood but common theories include:. The nasal turbinates can be associated with several disorders.
Oftentimes, the symptom associated with these disorders is congestion. Many turbinate disorders resolve on their own, but occasionally treatment is needed to correct the problem. When turbinate disorders need to be corrected, a turbinate reduction can be performed during endoscopic sinus surgery.
This procedure requires general anesthesia and is typically performed in a same day surgery clinic. The nasal turbinates are comprised of three or four structures that serve the function of warming, humidifying, and filtering the air that we breathe. Abnormalities in the turbinates often result in congestion, as occurs with the common cold and allergies. Structural changes in the turbinates such as concha bullosa and choanal atresia can also result in symptoms.
Citation, DOI and article data. Jones, J. Superior nasal concha. Reference article, Radiopaedia. Superior nasal turbinates Superior nasal conchae Superior nasal turbinate. URL of Article. Thieme atlas of anatomy. Stuttgart: Thieme, Henry Gray, Susan Standring, B.
Gray's Anatomy. ISBN: Related articles: Anatomy: Head and neck.
0コメント