Editing Inferior nasal concha (section)

==Structure==
[[File: BodyParts3D Inferior nasal concha.stl|thumb|Right and left inferior nasal conchae]]

===Surfaces===
The '''medial surface''' is [[wikt:convex|convex]], perforated by numerous apertures, and traversed by longitudinal grooves for the lodgement of vessels.

The '''lateral surface''' is [[wikt:concave|concave]], and forms part of the [[inferior meatus]].

===Borders===
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 bone|palatine]];
* the ''middle'' portion presents three well-marked [[Process (anatomy)|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 of inferior nasal concha|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.

===Extremities===
Both extremities are more or less pointed, the posterior being the more tapering.

===Development===
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]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

The entire inferior concha may be absent in some people. This is a consequence of embryologic [[agenesis]] and is a normal anatomic variant.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tubbs |first=R. Shane |title=Bergman's Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation |last2=Shoja |first2=Mohammadali M. |last3=Loukas |first3=Marios |date=July 2016 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |isbn=978-1-118-43035-4 |edition=3rd |language=English}}</ref>