Inferior meatus

Jump to: navigation, search

Inferior meatus

Roof, floor, and lateral wall of left nasal cavity. (Inferior meatus labeled at center right.)
Latin	meatus nasi inferior
Gray's	subject #57 195
Dorlands/Elsevier	m_06/12518238

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

The inferior meatus, the largest of the three meatuses of the nose, is the space between the inferior concha and the floor of the nasal cavity.

It extends almost the entire length of the lateral wall of the nose, is broader in front than behind, and presents anteriorly the lower orifice of the nasolacrimal canal.

Additional images

Left palatine bone. Nasal aspect. Enlarged.
Coronal section of nasal cavities.
Sagittal section of nose mouth, pharynx, and larynx.

External links

SUNY Figs 33:04-12
Atlas of anatomy at UMich rsa1p6 - Coronal section

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

v • d • e General anatomy of head and neck - head
Face/Occiput	Forehead • Eye • Ear • Temple • Cheek • Chin
External nose	Nostril • Nasal septum • Cartilages (Accessory nasal, of the septum, Greater alar, Lateral nasal, Lesser alar, Vomeronasal) • Olfactory glands
Nasal cavity	Choana • Turbinate • Sphenoethmoidal recess • Ethmoid bulla • Hiatus semilunaris • Ostium maxillare • Inferior meatus • Vomeronasal organ • Paranasal sinus
Mouth/oral cavity	Lip • Philtrum • Jaw • Pterygomandibular raphe
Teeth	Permanent (Incisor, Canine, Premolar, Molar) • Deciduous
Tongue	Plica fimbriata • Median sulcus • Foramen cecum • Terminal sulcus • Frenulum linguae • Anterior tongue • Posterior tongue
Palate/roof of mouth	Hard palate • Soft palate • Palatine raphe • Incisive papilla • Uvula • Pharyngeal recess • Arches (Palatoglossal, Palatopharyngeal)
Salivary glands	Parotid gland/Parotid duct • Submandibular gland/Submandibular duct • Sublingual gland/Major sublingual duct
Other	fascia (Masseteric fascia, Temporal fascia, Galea aponeurotica) • Scalp