The supreme nasal concha or highest nasal concha is a
nasal concha
In anatomy, a nasal concha (), plural conchae (), also called a nasal turbinate or turbinal, is a long, narrow, curled shelf of bone that protrudes into the breathing passage of the nose in humans and various animals. The conchae are shaped like ...
(turbinate) that occurs in some cases. It is shaped like a seashell and found on the posterosuperior part of the lateral nasal wall.
[Supreme nasal concha. (n.d.) ''Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing.'' (2012). Retrieved April 16, 2015 fro]
/ref> It lies on the medial surface of the labyrinth of ethmoid
The ethmoidal labyrinth or lateral mass of the ethmoid bone consists of a number of thin-walled cellular cavities, the ethmoid air cells, arranged in three groups, anterior, middle, and posterior, and interposed between two vertical plates of bone ...
above the superior nasal concha
The superior nasal concha is a small, curved plate of bone representing a medial bony process of the labyrinth of the ethmoid bone. The superior nasal concha forms the roof of the superior nasal meatus.
Anatomy
Anatomical relations
The super ...
. This makes it the highest the nasal conchae, and the highest of three on the ethmoid bone
The ethmoid bone (; from grc, ἡθμός, hēthmós, sieve) is an unpaired bone in the skull that separates the nasal cavity from the brain. It is located at the roof of the nose, between the two orbits. The cubical bone is lightweight due to a ...
. It is often no more than a small, simple crest protruding from the nasal wall.
The space below and the fissure lateral to the concha are known as the supreme nasal meatus
In anatomy, the term nasal meatus can refer to any of the three meatuses (passages) through the skulls nasal cavity: the superior meatus (''meatus nasi superior''), middle meatus (''meatus nasi medius''), and inferior meatus (''meatus nasi inferio ...
.[
It was historically known as Santorini's concha, after ]Giovanni Domenico Santorini
Giovanni Domenico Santorini (June 6, 1681 – May 7, 1737) was an Italian anatomist. He was a native of Venice, earning his medical doctorate at Pisa in 1701. He is remembered for conducting anatomical dissections of the human body.
From 1705 unt ...
.[Supreme nasal concha. (n.d.) ''Medical Eponyms''. (2012). Retrieved April 16, 2015 fro]
/ref>
See also
* Nasal concha
In anatomy, a nasal concha (), plural conchae (), also called a nasal turbinate or turbinal, is a long, narrow, curled shelf of bone that protrudes into the breathing passage of the nose in humans and various animals. The conchae are shaped like ...
References
Bones of the head and neck
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