Pharynx
You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Phone:617-525-6884
Please Take Over This Page and Apply to be Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [2] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.
Overview
| Pharynx | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Head and neck. | |
 | |
| Pharynx | |
| Gray's | subject #244 1141 |
| Artery | ascending pharyngeal, ascending palatine, descending palatine |
| Vein | pharyngeal veins |
| Nerve | pharyngeal plexus |
| MeSH | Pharynx |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | p_16/12633198 |
|
WikiDoc Resources for Pharynx | |
|
Articles | |
|---|---|
|
Most recent articles on Pharynx | |
|
Media | |
|
Evidence Based Medicine | |
|
Clinical Trials | |
|
Ongoing Trials on Pharynx at Clinical Trials.gov Clinical Trials on Pharynx at Google
| |
|
Guidelines / Policies / Govt | |
|
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Pharynx
| |
|
Books | |
|
News | |
|
Commentary | |
|
Definitions | |
|
Patient Resources / Community | |
|
Directions to Hospitals Treating Pharynx Risk calculators and risk factors for Pharynx
| |
|
Healthcare Provider Resources | |
|
Causes & Risk Factors for Pharynx | |
|
Continuing Medical Education (CME) | |
|
International | |
|
| |
|
Businness | |
|
Experimental / Informatics | |
The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the neck and throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and cranial, or superior, to the esophagus, larynx, and trachea.
Functions
It is part of the digestive system and respiratory system of many organisms.
Because both food and air pass through the pharynx, a flap of connective tissue called the epiglottis closes over the trachea when food is swallowed to prevent choking or aspiration. In humans the pharynx is important in vocalization.
Parts
The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections:
Nasopharynx
The nasopharynx lies behind the nasal cavity.
Postero-superiorly this extends from the level of the junction of the hard and soft palates to the base of skull, laterally to include the fossa of Rosenmuller.
The inferior wall consists of the superior surface of the soft palate.
Oropharynx
The oropharynx lies behind the oral cavity.
- The anterior wall consists of the base of the tongue and the vallecula.
- The lateral wall is made up of the tonsil, tonsillar fossa, and tonsillar (faucial) pillars.
- The superior wall consists of the inferior surface of the soft palate and the uvula roughly at the level of C1.
Hypopharynx
The hypopharynx, also known as the laryngopharynx roughly corresponds to the levels between C3 to C6, it includes the pharyngo-esophageal junction (postcricoid area), the piriform sinus, and the posterior pharyngeal wall.
Like the oropharynx above it the hypopharynx serves as a passageway for food and air and is lined with a stratified squamous epithelium.
It lies directly anterior to the upright epiglottis and extends to the larynx, where the respiratory and digestive pathways diverge.
At that point the laryngopharynx is continuous with the esophagus posteriorly. The esophagus conducts food and fluids to the stomach; air enters the larynx anteriorly. During swallowing, food has the "right of way", and air passage temporarily stops.
Additional images
 Conducting passages. |
 Organs of the digestive system. |
 The entrance to the larynx, viewed from behind. |
 Sagittal section of nose mouth, pharynx, and larynx. |
 The position and relation of the esophagus in the cervical region and in the posterior mediastinum. Seen from behind. |
References
- Stedman's/LWW 1551471
- Human Anatomy and Physiology Elaine N. Marieb and Katja Hoehn, Seventh Edition.
- TNM Classification of Malignant Tumours Sobin LH & Wittekind Ch (eds)Sixth edition UICC 2002 ISBN 0-471-22288-7
See also
External links
Anatomy: respiratory system |
|---|
| Nose • Nasal cavity • Pharynx • Larynx • Trachea • Lungs • Bronchi • Alveoli • Conducting zone • Respiratory zone |
bg:Гълтач ca:Faringe cs:Hltan de:Pharynx el:Φάρυγγαςeo:Faringo eu:Faringe fr:Pharynx gl:Farinxe ko:인두 (몸) id:Faring it:Faringe he:לוע la:Pharynx lt:Ryklė ln:Mongelu mk:Голтник nl:Pharynx ja:咽頭simple:Pharynx sk:Hltan sr:Ждрело fi:Nielu sv:Svalg uk:Глотка yi:פארניקס
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
