Tonsil Anattomy Flashcards
What are the tonsils found in the mouth?
- Waldeyer’s Ring: Pharyngeal tonsil, Tubal tonsils x2, Palatine tonsils x2, Lingual tonsil
What is the tissue seen in the tonsils?
- T cells, B cells and Macrophages (MALT tissue)
- These are the first line of defence against pathogens entering the nasopharynx and oropharynx
What is a lingual tonsil?
- These are many lymphoid nodules which are found within the posterior third of the tongue
What tissue is found on the lingual tonsil?
- Stratified non-keratinised squamous epithelium
What is the blood supply and innervation of the Lingual Tonsil?
- Lingual Artery
- Tonsillar branch of the facial artery
- Ascending Pharyngeal artery
What nerve supplies the Lingual Tonsil?
- Glossopharyngeal nerve
What is the lymphatic drainage of the Lingual Tonsil?
- Jugulodigastric and deep cervical lymph nodes
What is the Pharyngeal tonsil?
- A collection of lymphoid tissue within the mucosa of the roof of the nasopharynx
- The pharyngeal tonsil is also known as the adenoids
Where is the Pharyngeal tonsil located?
- Midline of the nasopharynx and forms the superior aspect of Waldeyer’s ring
What type of epithelium covers the pharyngeal tonsil?
- ciliated pseudostratified epithelium
What is the blood supply to the pharyngeal tonsil?
- Ascending palatine artery
- Ascending pharyngeal artery
- Pharyngeal branch of the maxillary artery
- Artery of the pterygoid canal
- Basisphenoid artery
- Tonsillar branch of the facial artery
What is the venous drainage of the Pharyngeal tonsil?
- Pharyngeal Plexus
What is the nerve supply to the Pharyngeal tonsil?
- Vagus Nerve
- Glossopharyngeal Nerve
What is the lymphatic drainage of the pharyngeal tonsils?
- Deep Cervical Nodes within the parapharyngeal space
What are the tubal tonsils?
- These are lymphoid tissue around the opening of the Eustachian tube in the lateral wall of the nasopharynx
- Lateral aspect of Waldeyer’s Ring
What epithelium covers the tubal tonsils?
- ciliated pseudostratified epithelium
What is the blood supply and innervation?
- Arterial Supply: Ascending Pharyngeal Artery
- Innervation: Maxillary and Glossopharyngeal Nerves
What is the lymphatic drainage of the tubal tonsils?
- Retropharyngeal and deep cervical lymph nodes drain the tonsils
What are the Palatine Tonsils?
- These are the tonsils
- They are located within the tonsillar bed of the lateral oropharynx wall - between the palatoglossal arch (anterior) and the palatopharyngeal arch (posterior)
- This forms lateral part of the Waldeyer’s ring
What epithelium covers them?
- stratified non-keratinised squamous epithelium
What is the structure of the Palatine Tonsilar Epithelium?
- The medial surface is free and projects into the pharynx
- The lateral surface is covered by a fibrous capsule and is separated from the superior constrictor by the tonsillar bed by loose areolar connective tissue
What is the Blood Supply and Innervation of the Palatine Tonsils?
- Aterial supply to the tonsil = tonsillar branch of the facial artery
- Venous Drainage = via the external palatine vein
- The palatine tonsils receive innervation from the maxillary nerve and Glossopharyngeal nerve
What is the lymphatic drainage of the Palatine Tonsils?
- Drain into the Jugulodigastric and the upper deep cervical lymph nodes
