Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
The soft palate and the epiglottis divide the cavity behind the nose (the mouth and
the larynx, this cavity) into three parts. This cavity is the pharynx and this is the
wall of the pharynx and the soft palate and the epiglottis divide the pharynx into three
parts. The part behind the nose is the nasopharynx, the part behind the mouth is the oropharynx
and the part behind the larynx is the laryngopharynx. So, of this is the wall of the pharynx, this
will be the soft palate and epiglottis, between the soft palate and the epiglottis there is
the oropharynx, which is continues with the oral cavity. Above the soft palate there is
the nasopharynx which is continues with the nose. And below the epiglottis there is the
laryngopharynx, which is behind the larynx. In the nasopharynx, there is an opening that
leads laterally into the middle ear, this is the auditory tube or the esthetician tube,
this is the pharyngeal end of the auditory tube. The upper edge of the tube is elevated
forming what's called the tubal elevation. The tubal elevation is formed of the wall
of the tube together with some aggregation of lymphosis which are called the tubal tonsil,
so this is the tubal elevation. The posterior edge of the tube is a fold which is called
the salpingopharyngeal fold, salpinx means tube. It comes from the tube and is inserted
into the wall of pharynx. Therefore, it's called the salpingopharyngeal fold and it
contains the salpingopharyngeus muscle. The anterior edge of the tube is a small mucus
elevation that goes to the soft palate and it's called the salpingopalatine fold. So.
We have the opening of the tube bounded inferiorly by the soft palate and bounded superiorly
by the tubal elevation. The anterior edge of the opening is the salpingopalatine fold
and the posterior edge is the salpingopalatine fold formed of the salpingopharyngeus muscle.
Behind the salpingopharyngeal fold, there is the pharyngeal recess, which is related
externally to the internal carotid artery (this is the pharyngeal recess). So, we have
the opening of the tube, we have the tubal elevation, we have the salpingopalatine fold,
we have salpingopharyngeal fold and we have the pharyngeal recess. In the posterior wall
of the nasopharynx, there may be seen some aggregations of lymphosis. These, aggregations
in the posterior wall (which they are not needed practically) of the nasopharynx are
due to sub mucus accumulations of lymphosis, which are called the nasopharyngeal or the
adenoid tonsil. So, we have again in this specimen, this is the opening of the tube,
this is the salpingopharyngeal fold, this is the pharyngeal recess and this is the posterior
wall if the of the pharynx, where some lymphosis are aggregated to from the nasopharyngeal
tonsil or the adenoid tonsil, all these are seen behind the inferior concha. So, we take
the inferior concha as a landmark, behind it there is the opening of the tube, behind
the opening we have the salpingopharyngeal fold, we have the pharyngeal recess and we
have nasopharyngeal tonsil. In this specimen again, this is the hard palate, this is the
soft palate and of course this is the uvela and this is the mouth cavity. So, the pharyngeal
part here is the oropharynx and inside the oropharynx we have, this elevation which is
the oropharyngeal tonsil or the palatine tonsil (this is the palatine tonsil, which is the
largest tonsil). Anterior, to the tonsil we'll have a fold of mucus membrane and behind it
we have a fold of mucus membrane containing muscles. Both folds (the anterior fold and
the posterior fold) come down from the soft palate and the anterior one goes down to the
tongue and the posterior one goes to the wall of the pharynx. This is the palatoglossal
fold containing the palatoglossus muscle and this is the palatopharyngeal fold containing
the palatopharyngeus muscle. The palatoglossus and the palatopharyngeus are the muscles that
take the soft palate down. So, in the oropharynx, the main contents are, the tonsil anterior
to it we have the palatoglossal fold and posterior to it we have the palatopharyngeal fold. If
we come more down, if this is the epiglottis as we agreed, and this is the aryepiglottic
fold. Behind, the aryepiglottic fold in the laryngopharynx we have a depression. Again,
this depression is another site of impaction of foreign bodies and is supplied also, by
the internal pharyngeal nerve and is called the pyriform fossa. So, in the laryngopharynx,
if this the epiglottis and this is the quadrate membrane as we agreed. The lower edge of the
quadrate membrane is the vestibular or ventricle fold. The upper edge of the membrane is the
aryepiglottic fold containing the aryepiglottic muscle and if we go backward, this is the
wall of the pharynx and this depression is the pyriform fossa which is supplied by the
internal pharyngeal nerve. Below, the pyriform fossa, the cavity of the pharynx becomes narrow
and then it becomes continues with the cavity of the oesophagus.