Anatomy of upper respiratory tract Flashcards
Nose
- external visible structure
- Has nares/nostrils
- nares divided by intraseptum
- separated from the mouth by the palate
- lateral walls have three projections (nasal conchae), which are surrounded by a ring of paranasal sinuses
- posterior nasal aperture: opening that leads to nasopharynx
Paranasal sinus
- air filled (empty) space
- lightens skull
- resonance chambers
Nasal function
- blood Vessels warms air
- conchae increase surface area of mucosa and cause turbulence in air flow
- captures debris more effectively
- helps recapture heat and moisture from exhaled air
Pharynx (nasopharynx, oropharynx, laryngopharynx)
-muscular passageway common to air and food
(Openings to nasal/oral cavity, esophagus, and trachea)
-contains tonsils (lymph Tissue)
-has pharyngotympanic tubes: drain middle ear, open into nasopharynx
Larynx
-formed by eight hyaline cartilage and the epiglottis (flap of elastic cartilage)
-largest cartilage forms Adam’s apple (thyroid)
-epithelium reverts to pseudostratified ciliated
(Cilia pushes mucus upwards towards the pharynx)
Larynx function
-routes air and food into proper tubes
-plays a role in speech
-cough reflex initiated if food or fluid enters the trachea or when food is too big to swallow (only when conscious)
-epiglottis protects the entrance of the larynx
(Open when not swallowing, when swallowing, larynx moves superiority and epiglottis tips over to cover its opening)
Vocal cords (folds)
- part of laryngeal mucous membrane forms vocal cords which vibrate with expelled air
- sound created deeper in men due to testosterone
- glottis: vocal cords, and the slit in between them
Sound
- higher pressure = louder
- higher tension = higher pitch
Histology
- Pseudostratified violated from nasal cavity to nasopharynx, then larynx
- stratified squamous in oropharynx and laryngopharynx
