The Gastrointestinal System - The pharynx and oesophagus

Question 1

What is the pharynx?

Answer 1

Pharynx: muscular tube open anteriorly, lying behind nose, mouth and larynx (voice box).

Question 2

What is pharynx divided into?

Answer 2

From superior to inferior the pharynx is divided into: nasopharynx, oropharynx and laryngopharynx.

Question 3

What does the soft palate mark the boundary between?

Answer 3

Soft palate marks the boundary between the nasopharynx and the oropharynx.

Question 4

What closes the nasopharynx during off during swallowing?

Answer 4

Soft palate and the uvula close off the nasopharynx during swallowing.

Question 5

Can you find a structure which closes off the nasopharynx during swallowing?

Answer 5

During deglutition (swallowing), the soft palate rises to close off the nasopharynx, the larynx elevates, and the epiglottis folds over the glottis. The oesophagus includes an upper oesophagal sphincter made of skeletal muscle, which regulates the movement of food from the pharynx to the oesophagus.

Question 6

Where is larynx located?

Answer 6

The larynx is continuous inferiorly with trachea, and the laryngopharynx is continuous inferiorly with the oesophagus.

Trachea is anterior to oesophagus.

Question 7

What is the opening of the oesophagus kept close by?

Where does the oesophagus penetrate the diaphragm and at what level?

What cartilage from the larynx?

Answer 7

• Opening of oesophagus kept closed by cricopharyngeus muscle, which relaxes to allow swallowed food to pass through.
• The oesophageal hiatus is where the oesophagus penetrates the diaphragm, entering the stomach, at T10.
• The cartilages that form the larynx are: thyroid, arytenoid and cricoid.