8 - Pharynx and Larynx

Question 1

What is the pharynx? What are it’s parts?

Answer 1

A muscular tube.

Nasopharynx, oropharynx (between soft palate and epiglottis), and laryngopharynx (epiglottis to inferior border of cricoid cartiladge).

Question 2

What are the muscles of the pharynx?

Answer 2

Superior constrictor: meets in posterior at the median pharyngeal raphae.

Middle pharyngeal constrictors.

Inferior constrictors: thyropharyngeus and cricopharyngeus

Stylopharyngeus

Question 3

What are the major muscles and structures of the nasopharynx?

Answer 3

Auditory tube, tubal elevation, salpingopharyngeus, platopharyngeus, levator veli palatini, tensor veli palatini, and nasopharyngeal tonsil.

Question 4

What are the main structures of the oropharynx?

Answer 4

Oropharyngeal isthmus and the palatine tonsils (between the palatoglossal and palatopharyngeal arches.

Question 5

What is the main structure of the laryngopharynx?

Answer 5

The piriform fossae, a pear shaped fossa on either side of the pharyngeal inlet.

Question 6

What three nerves innervate the motor portion of the pharynx?

Answer 6

CN X - all muscles of the soft palate and pharynx (constrictors, salpingopharyngeus, and palatopharyngeus.)

CN IX - Stylopharyngeus

CN V3 - tensor veli palatini

Question 7

What nerves innervate the sensory portion of the pharynx?

Answer 7

CN IX and CN V2 - upper pharynx

CN X - lower pharynx

Question 8

What makes up the pharyngeal plexus?

Answer 8

CN IX, X, and sympathetic fibers.

Question 9

What is the blood supply and lymphatic drainage of the pharynx?

Answer 9

Ascending pharyngeal artery.

Drained via the jugulodigastric nodes.

Question 10

What is the larynx and what is its function?

Answer 10

Passageway for air that functions in voice production.

Question 11

What are some pathologies related to the larynx?

Answer 11

Laryngitis, vocal cord polyps, and laryngeal cancer.

Question 12

What are the parts of the thyroid (laryngeal cartilages)? What attaches to them?

Answer 12

Superior cornu: attachment for thyrohyoid membrane

Inferior cornu: articulares with cricoid cartilage

Oblique line: attachment for inferior constrictor, sternothyroid, and thyrohyoid.

Question 13

The middle pharyngeal constrictor is in the region of the _____?

Answer 13

Hyoid bone.

Question 14

What is dysphagia?

Answer 14

Difficulty swallowing.

Question 15

Where is the cricoid cartilage located and what is it’s shape?

Answer 15

Below the thyroid cartilage.

Narrow in the front but expands posteriorly and forms a complete ring.

Question 16

What are arytenoids? What are the parts?

Answer 16

Cartilaginous structures located posteriorly above the cricoid cartilage.

Vocal processes project anteriorly and have a vocal ligament that connects to the thyroid.

Muscular processes that project laterally.

Question 17

What type of joint is between the arytenoids and the cricoid cartilage? What purpose does this serve?

Answer 17

Synovial joint; allows arytenoid cartilage to rotate/swivel around their base and can glide both medial and lateral and anterior to posterior.

Question 18

What i epiglottic cartilage made of? What is it connected to?

Answer 18

Made of elastic cartilage.

Attaches to the inside surface of the thyroid cartilage and is up-side down tear drop shaped.

Question 19

What are the cricothyroid membranes? What else is near them?

Answer 19

2 membranes that connect the cricoid cartilage and the thyroid cartilage.

There’s also anterior/median cricothyroid ligaments (one per side).

Question 20

What is the structure of the cricovocal membranes (aka lateral cricothyroid ligaments)? What is the thickened superior free edge of the cricovocal membranes called?

Answer 20

Tent-like fibrous sheets that project medially.

Vocal ligaments.

Question 21

What is the conus elasticus?

Answer 21

Cricovocal membranes + vocal ligaments

Question 22

What does the quadrangular membrane connect? What is the free superior edge called? What about the free inferior edge?

Answer 22

The epiglottic to the arytenoid cartilages.

Free superior edge called the aryepiglottic fold.

Free inferior edge called the vestibular ligaments.

Question 23

Where are the vocalis muscles located? What else is there?

Answer 23

Within the the vocal folds, along with the vocal ligaments and the cricovocal membranes.

Question 24

What is the space between the vocal folds called?

Answer 24

Rima glottidis (ie the airway)

Question 25

What connects the tongue and the epiglottis?

Answer 25

The glossoepiglottic folds - there’s two lateral and one medial.

Question 26

What are the depressiosn between the tongue (anterior) and epiglottis (posterior) called?

Answer 26

Vallecula

Question 27

What is the laryngeal inlet called?

Answer 27

The aditus laryngis.

Question 28

What is the path of the aryepiglottic folds? What is located lateral to these?

Answer 28

They extend from the arytenoid cartilages to the epiglottis.

Piriform recesses - pear shaped spaces.

Question 29

What is the location and function of the cricothyroid muscles?

Answer 29

Between the thyroid and cricoid cartilages.

Act to tilt the thyroid anteriorly to elongate, which tightens the vocal ligaments and increases the pitch of your voice.

Question 30

What innervates the cricothyroid muscles?

Answer 30

The external laryngeal n.

this is different from the other intrinsic muscles of the larynxn that are innervated by the recurrent laryngeal n.

Question 31

What is the location and action of the transverse arytenoids (intrinsic muscle of the larynx)? What is the innervation?

Answer 31

Unpaired; goes from one arytenoid cartilage to the other.

Pulls arytenoid cartilages together, affecting the width of the airway.

Innervation: recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Question 32

What is the location and action of the oblique arytenoids? What is the innervation?

Answer 32

Superficial to the transverse arytenoids,

They act like drawstrings on the laryngeal inlet to adjust its size.

Innervation: recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Question 33

What is the location of the posterior cricoarytenoids? What is their innervation?

Answer 33

Muscular processes of arytenoid cartilages to the posterior part of the cricoid cartilage.

Pulls muscular processes medially to abduct vocal folds and open airway(!!!)

Innervation: recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Question 34

What is the location and action of the thyroarytenoids? What is their innervation?

Answer 34

From posterior surface of the thyroid cartilage to the arytenoid cartilage.

Pull arytenoid cartilages anteriorly to decrease tension on vocal ligaments and decrease voice pitch.

Innervation: recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Question 35

What is the location of the lateral cricoarytenoids? What is their action?

Answer 35

Below the thyroartenoids. Go from muscular processes of arytenoid to lateral part of cricoid cartilage.

Pull muscular processes anteriorly to adduct the vocal folds and close the rima glottidis.

Innervation: recurrent laryngeal n.

Question 36

What does the superior laryngeal nerve split into? What does each supply?

Answer 36

The internal laryngeal n.: sensory to mucosa superior to vocal folds and ANS

External laryngeal n.: motor to cricothyroid muscle.

Question 37

What does the recurrent laryngeal nerve supply?

Answer 37

Sensory to mucosa inferior to the vocal folds.

Motor to all intrinsic m’s except the cricothyroid.