The Pharynx

Question 1

What are the borders of the nasopharynx?

Answer 1

Base of the skull to the upper border of the soft palate, posterior is C1 and C2 and anterior is the nasal cavity

Question 2

What can happen when the pharyngeal tonsils become chronially inflammed?

Answer 2

They can block the nasopharynx and disrupt breathing, and in may block the eustachain tube causing middle ear pathology, and can also harbour infection that can spread to the sinuses and the middle ear cavity

Question 3

What are the borders of the oropharynx?

Answer 3

The soft palate to the superior border of the epiglottis, and the vertebral bodies of C2 and C3 lie posteriorly, .

Question 4

What lymph nodes would be inflammed in tonsilitis?

Answer 4

The jugulo digastric lymph nodes

Question 5

From which vein will bleeding occur possibly in a tonsilectomy?

Answer 5

Bleeding can occur from the external palatine vein and secondarily

Question 6

What are the borders of the laryngopharynx?

Answer 6

Extends from the level of the epiglottis to the oespghuaus at the lovwe border of the circoid cartilage, with the layrnx anterior and the vertebral bodies of C4, C5 and C6 posteriorly

Question 7

What is the role of the piriform fossa?

Answer 7

On each side of the laryngeal inlet there is a small depression, and allows food to go round the larynx so that you don’t breath in your food

Question 8

What is the general action of the longitudianl muscles?

Answer 8

Shorten and widen the pharync and elevate the layrnx during swallowing

Question 9

What are the names of the longitudinal muscles?

Answer 9

The stylopharyngeus, the palatopharyngeus and the salpingopharyngeus

Question 10

What are the features of the innervation of the longituidnal muscles?

Answer 10

The stlyopharungeus is innervated by the glossopharyngeus nerve whereas the palatopharyngeus and the salpingopharyngeus are innervated by the vagus nerves

Question 11

What is the role of the pharyngeal constrictors?

Answer 11

Found sequnetially from superior to inferior to constrict the lumen and propel the bolus of food inferiolry in the lumen

Question 12

What is the innervation of the pharyngeal constictors?

Answer 12

All innervated by the vagus nerve, CNX

Question 13

Where is the superior pharyngeal constrictor located?

Answer 13

The oropharynx

Question 14

Where is the middle pharyngeal constictor located?

Answer 14

The laryngopharynx

Question 15

Which are the two parts of the inferior pharyngeal constrictor?

Answer 15

The thryopharyngeal part and the cricopharyngeal part

Question 16

What is the point of weakness between the thropahryngeal part and the cricopharyngeal part of the constrcitors?

Answer 16

Killians dehisance

Question 17

What is the clincal importance of killans dehisance?

Answer 17

If there is incodirantion of muscles during swallowing, increased pressure can cause the pharyngela mucosa to herniate through killians dehisance, froming a pharyngeal pouch, and this can cause dyspahid reguriation of food and hailtosis

Question 18

What is the pharyngeal plexus?

Answer 18

Located mainly on the surface of the middle constricot muscle, and contains the vagus, glossopharyngeal and sumpatheic fibres of the superior cervical ganglion

Question 19

What is the innervation to the motor muscles of the pharynx?

Answer 19

The vagus nerves innervates all muscles appart from the stylopharyngeus

Question 20

What is the sensory innnervation of the pharynx?

Answer 20

The nasopharynx- maxillary nerve
Oropharynx- (glossopharyngela nerve
laryngopahrynce (vagus nerve)

Question 21

What are some of the causes of dysphagia?

Answer 21

Stroke, progessive neurological disease and parkinsons or MS

Question 22

Where is a commo site for foreign bodies to lodge?

Answer 22

The piriform fossa

Question 23

Where would you find the thryoid galnd?

Answer 23

Located in the anterior neck, spanning between the C5 and T1 verebar, wrapped around the circoid catilage and the superior trachela rings, is the visercal compatment of the neck and is bound by the pretracheal fascia

Question 24

Where does the blood supply of the thryoid come from?

Answer 24

The superior thryoid atery, which is the first brach of the external cartoid artery that has superior and anterior portion, and the inferior thryoid arter that arises from the thyocervical trunk and supplies the postero- inferor aspect

Question 25

What are the suprahyoid muscles ?

Answer 25

The stylohyoid, the digastric, the mylohyodi adn the genoidhyoid

Question 26

What are the infrahoyid muscles?

Answer 26

The sternohyoid, the omohyoid, the sternothryoid and the thyohoyoid