Concha bullosa in otorhinolaryngologist’s practice

Middle nasal concha is a significant anatomic landmark for surgical interventions on nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Knowledge of anatomical variants, understanding of the processes of tissue structure formation in this important functional area are necessary for safe endoscopic surgery. Objective. To summarize data about prevalence, anatomical topography features and clinical manifestations of pneumatized middle nasal concha. Material and methods. The materials of scientific publications, presented in the RSCI, Medline and PubMed databases were used as a data source. The choice of materials was carried out by the keywords: concha bullosa, embryology of nasal cavity, variants of middle nasal concha development, modern classifications. Results and conclusion. The main anatomical variants of middle nasal conchae pneumatization were described, the most common of them is concha bullosa (CB). CB is usually asymptomatic, but in cases of extensive pneumatization, a large concha bullosa can cause clinical manifestations. The most common symptoms in the presence of extensive pneumatization of middle concha are nasal congestion and facial pain. The modern classifications of CB are given. The significance of middle concha pneumatization in endoscopic rhinosurgery is shown.