Anatomy Flashcards
What is included in the upper respiratory tract?
- nasal cavities
- oral cavity
- pharynx
- larynx
What is included in the lower respiratory tract?
- trachea
- right and left main bronchus
- lobar bronchi
- segmental bronchi
- bronchioles
- alveoli
Where does the nasal pharynx lie?
Behind the nasal cavity
Where does the oral pharynx lie?
Behind the oral cavity
Where is the laryngeal pharynx located?
Behind the larynx
Where is the distinction between upper and lower respiratory tracts?
At the body of C6
Where does the pharynx become the oesophagus?
At the body of C6
What does the respiratory tree (bronchial tree) describe?
The anatomy of the lower respiratory tract airways from trachea to alveoli
What is the carina?
The point where the trachea bifurcates into the left and right main bronchus
Describe the lobar bronchi?
They supply the lobes of the lungs, asymmetric.
Describe the segmental bronchi?
- no asymmetry
- ten in each lung
- each supply bronchopulmonary segments in each lung
How many lobes does the right lung have?
Three
How many lobes does the left lung have?
Two
What are fissures?
Deep crevices that separate the lobes form each other
What is a lingua?
A tongue like projection which are extensions of the left upper lobe
Each lung lobe and each bronchopulmonary segment has its own what?
- blood supply
- lymphatic drainage
- nerve supply
Why can surgeons remove a segment of the lung or a whole lobe rather than a whole lung?
Because each lobe and bronchopulmonary segment has its own blood supply, nerve supply and lymphatic drainage
What lines the inside of the bronchial tree (except for the distal bronchioles and alveoli)?
Respiratory epithelium
What is the function of the cilia?
Beat to sweep the mucous (plus any foreign bodies stuck in the mucous) superiorly, towards the pharynx, to be swallowed this is the mucociliary escalator
What is respiratory epithelium characterised by?
White goblet cells and cilia
Why is there no respiratory epithelium in the bronchioles and alveoli? What is the respiratory epithelium replaced by?
So that there can be exchange of gases. It is replaced by smooth muscle
What supports the walls of the trachea and all the bronchi?
The hyaline cartilage
The wheeze is what sound?
The sound made as air passes through constricted (narrowed) airways
What are the main requirements needed to ensure that enough O2 and CO2 can diffuse?
- sufficient functioning lung tissue
- sufficient O2 in the air we breathe in
- no CO2 in the air we breathe in
- minimal thickness of the wall of the alveoli (air sacs) to facilitate gaseous diffusion
- minimal tissue fluid in the tissue spaces around the alveolar capillaries to facilitate gaseous diffusion
What is oedema?
Build up of tissue fluid
Why is excess fluid disruptive?
It disrupts the diffusion of gases
Name some ways in which the respiratory tract may become narrowed
- the bronchioles may constrict eg. asthma
- swelling of the mucosa lining the inside of the respiratory tree and overproduction of mucous eg. asthma
- a growing tumour may externally compress the tract at any point
How many nasal cavities are in the skull?
2
The left and right nasal cavity are separated from each other by what?
The nasal septum
Describe the nasal septum
- bony (posterior) part of the nasal septum ethmoid bone (superiorly) and vomer (inferiorly)
- cartilaginous (anterior) part of the nasal septum
What does each nasal cavity feature?
- a relatively featureless medial wall
- an interestingly featured lateral wall
- a floor (formed from the palate)
- a roof (formed by the midline part of the floor of the anterior cranial fossa)
What does the ‘skeleton’ of the larynx consist of?
- the epiglottis
- the thyroid cartilage
- the circoid cartilage
- the 2 arytenoid cartilages (posteriorly)
What are the functions of the larynx?
- cartilage helps to maintain the patency of the URT
- helps to prevent the entry of foreign bodies into the LRT (the vocal cords)
- produces sound (vocal cords)
What is an inferior continuation of the larynx?
The trachea
What is the epiglottis composed of?
Elastic cartilage
What retains the potential to ossify with advancing age?
Hyaline cartilage
What is the laryngeal prominence?
The middle part of the thyroid cartilage, sticks out in males
What is the cricothyroid membrane?
The space filled by membrane in the cricoid
Where is the arytenoid located?
Back of the larynx
What is the laryngeal inlet?
The way into the larynx
Describe the arytenoids
- right and left
- connected to muscles
- when muscles contract they move
- have a relationship with vocal cords
What is the rima glottidis?
The narrowest part of the larynx. Large foreign bodies tend to block the URT at the rima glottidis
What are the two functions of the vocal ligaments?
- airway protection
- voice production
Describe the role of vocal ligaments in airway protection
- the vocal cords can approximate in the midline, closing the rima glottidis and preventing a foreign body being inhaled into the trachea
- a cough reflex is then stimulated to expel foreign body via the pharynx and oral cavity
Describe the role of vocal ligaments in voice production
- phonation (producing sound), expire air across the vocal cords, the cords vibrate to produce sound
- articulation (producing speech), the sound is modified in the nose or mouth to produce vowels and consonants
The Heimlich manoeuvre aims to do what?
- raise the abdominal pressure
- which will force the diaphragm superiorly
- which will raise the pressure in the chest
- which will raise the pressure in the lungs
- which will force air from the lungs into the trachea
- which will force air through the rima glottidis to expel the foreign body out of the URT
The air must be what to move in and out of the lungs?
Moist, warm, clean air
What does cooling and drying out of the respiratory tract do?
Damages the mucociliary escalator and predisposes to infection
Describe the conchae
- greatly increase the surface are of the lateral walls of the nasal cavities
- produce turbulent flow bringing the air into contact with the walls
How is air warmed?
The respiratory mucosa lining the walls of the nasal cavities has a very good arterial blood supply providing warmth
How is air humidified?
The respiratory mucosa produces mucous providing moisture
How is air cleaned?
The sticky mucous traps potentially infected particles, the cilia of the mucosa waft the mucous to the pharynx to be swallowed into gastric acid
Describe the cleaning
- part of the lymphatic system
- located within the mucosa lining the pharynx
- produce white blood cells in the defence against infection
What are the three sections of the pharynx and where are they located?
- nasopharynx (posterior to the nasal cavities)
- oropharynx (posterior to the oral cavity)
- laryngopharynx (posterior to the larynx)
What is the normal route of breathing (breathing in)?
- nasal cavities
- nasopharynx
- oropharynx
- laryngopharynx
- larynx
- trachea
What is the chest wall composed of?
- skin and fascia of the chest wall
- skeletal muscles of the chest wall
- the diaphragm (an internal chest wall)
- parietal pleura of the chest wall
Where is the isthmus of the thyroid gland located?
Anterior to tracheal cartilages 2-4, just above jugular notch
What is the function of the chest walls?
- protect the heart and lungs
- make the movements of breathing
- breast tissue- lactation
What is the thoracic viscera?
- heart
- lungs
- great vessels
What is the midline cavity between two pleural two pleural cavities?
The mediastinum
What are the two types of pleura?
- parietal pleura
- visceral pleura
How many pairs of intercostal spaces are there?
11
Which section of the nerve supplies the lung
Anterior ramus of spinal nerve
Where is the neurovascular bundle found?
In the groove on the inferior surface of the rib
Where is the collateral neurovascular bundle located?
On the superior surface of the rib
The diaphragm forms what?
- the floor of the chest cavity
- the roof of the abdominal cavity
How can the diaphragm be described?
As a skeletal muscle with an unusual central tendon
How is the diaphragm anatomically arranged?
As right and left domes
Why is the right dome of the diaphragm slightly higher?
Due to the liver
The muscular part of the diaphragm attaches to where?
- the sternum
- the lower 6 ribs and costal cartilages
- L1-L3 vertebral bodies
Why is the diaphragm considered to be part of the body wall?
because it is under voluntary control, somatic structure, skeletal muscle
The phrenic nerve is composed of what?
The anterior rami of cervical spinal nerves C3, C4 and C5
What does the phrenic nerve supply to the diaphragm?
Supplies motor, somatic sensory and sympathetic axons
What does the phrenic nerve supply to the pericardium
Supplies somatic sensory and sympathetic axons
Name the four quadrants of the female breast
- superlateral quadrant
- superomedial quadrant
- inferolateral quadrant
- inferomedial quadrant
Where is the lymph from lateral quadrants of the breast drained to?
The axillary nodes
Where is the lymph from the medial quadrants of the breast drained to?
Parasternal nodes
Where do you palpate the trachea?
The jugular notch of the manubrium
What movement is the deltoid responsible for?
Extension and flexion of the shoulder, abduction
What is the main vein that drains the upper limb?
The cephalic vein
What causes ‘ winged scapula’ ?
Paralysis of serratus anterior usually through injury to the long thoracic nerve
What anchors the scapula onto the thoracic cage?
The serratus anterior
What are the four sections of parietal pleura?
- cervical
- costal
- visceral
- diaphragmatic
What is the costo-diaphragmatic recess?
Space within the pleural cavity
Describe the costodiaphragmatic recess
- the most dependant part of the pleural cavity
- most inferior when upright
- located between the diaphragmatic parietal pleura and the costal parietal pleura
- its most inferior region laterally is the costophrenic angle
- abnormal fluid in the pleural cavity drains into the region
- this causes blunting of the angles
Which lung features the horizontal fissure?
The right lung
The horizontal fissure follows which rib?
Right rib four
Where are the oblique fissures located?
Bilaterally at the level of ribs 6 anteriorly rising to T3 vertebral level posteriorly
Where does the left base descend into during full inspiration?
The left costodiaphragmatic recess of the pleural cavity
