Human pharynx

Pharynx is the part of the neck and throat just behind the mouth and nose.

Description

The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the combined part of the digestive system and respiratory system of many animals. It is situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and is cranial to the esophagus, larynx, and trachea.

Because both food and air pass through the pharynx, special adaptations are necessary to prevent choking or aspiration when food or liquid is swallowed. In humans the pharynx is important in vocalisation.

Parts

The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections:

• Nasopharynx, lying 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, which lies behind the oral cavity. The anterior wall consists of the base of tongue and 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.
• Hypopharynx, also known as the laryngopharynx, which includes the pharyngo-oesophageal junction (postcricoid area), the piriform sinus, and the posterior pharyngeal wall.

See also

• Adenoid
• Eustachian tube
• Hyoid
• Larynx
• Tonsil
• Uvula