Week 10 Flashcards
What is the hard palate
skeletal palate covered by the mucous membrane
What is the skeletal palate cold
bony palate
What is the pharynx
The pharynx is a passageway that conducts air and food
What is the boundaries of the nasopharynx
○ Extends from the back edge of the nasal septum to the edge of the soft palate where it becomes the oropharynx
What is seen in the nasopharynx
auditory tube
pharyngeal recess
What is the auditory tube
§ It is a passageway that allows air to enter the middle ear so it connects the nasopharynx to the middle ear
Why does the middle ear require new air
The middle ear is air filled and lined by respiratory epithelium and overtime the air gets absorbed by the lining and needs to be replaced and the auditory tube allows new air in
What is the auditory tube surrounded by in the nasopharynx
a raised area called the tubal elevation
the auditory tube is made of bone and the part at the nasopharynx side is made of cartilage so the elevation is caused by the cartilage underlying the mucosa that forms the medial end of the tube
Tubal elevation is rich in tonsilar tissue and are called the tubal tonsils
What is the pharyngeal recess
§ This is a deep pocket of mucosa going behind the auditory tube
Why is the pharyngeal recess clinically important
as some patients get malignancy of the nasopharynx and malignant change in the dep recess can make it difficult to find
Why is the pharyngeal recess risky
§ If they would take a biopsy to examine, have to be careful because it’s a deep pocket and lateral to the pocket (out from the pharynx wall) is the internal carotid artery as it approaches the skull
What is the boundaries of the oropharynx and the oral cavity
the palatoglossus muscle raises a distinct fold of mucosa which is the boundary between the oral cavity and the oropharynx.
What is the function of the palatopharyngeal muscle
helps bring the soft palate against the back wall of the pharynx to stop fluid going into the nose creating a seal and it also creates a fold
What is seen in the area between the palatoglossal and palatopharyngeal folds
○ The area between the two olds is where the palatine tonsils sit and these are a large mass of tonsil tissue and they are very well developed in young kids and it sits in the tonsillar fossa which is the recess between the palatoglossal and palatopharyngeal fold
What is the valeculla
deep recess between the tongue and the epiglottis
What is the epiglottis
epiglottis is a leaf shaped bit of elastic cartilage covered by mucosa and the tip of it is the boundary between the oropharynx and the laryngopharynx
Food passes through the arches formed by the two palatoglossal folds - what is this called
the isthmus of the fauces
Where is the laryngopharynx
○ Past the epiglottal tip is the laryngopharynx
○ It goes as far down as the place where the larynx becomes the pharynx (cricoid cartilage)
Where is the piriform recess seen
Just below and lateral to the inlet of the larynx in the side wall is a pear shaped recess called the piriform fossa
where fish bones get stuck
Why is piriform fossa more likely to get fish bones stuck there
§ This is because when you swallow, the tongue moves the bolus back (styloglossus) and the bolus pushes the epiglottis to cover the inlet to the larynx food and food slides over the epiglottis and it tends to make food go down the sides which is where the bones can get stuck
It can also get stuck in the vallecula
What is waldeyers ring made up of
pharyngeal tonsils
lingual tonsils
palatine tonsils
tubal tonsils
What are the pharyngeal tonsils
□ Known as adenoids
found in nasopharynx
What is the function of the adenoids
□ There is rich tonsillar tissue beneath the mucosa of the pharynx to protect the airway so if organisms land on this then an immune response can be initiated and activated lymphocytes can go into circulation in preparation for if the foreign organism enters the lungs
What are the lingual tonsils
□ On the posterior third of the tongue there is lymphoid tissue called the lingual tonsils
