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Pharynx
 
 
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pharynx is part of the digestive system and respiratory system
Respiratory system

A respiratory system?s function is to allow gas exchange. The space between the alveoli and the capillaries, the anatomy or structure of the exchange system, and the precise physiological uses of the exchanged gases vary depending on the organism....
 of many organisms.

Because both food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
 and air
Earth's atmosphere

The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by the Earth's gravity. Dry air contains roughly 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% Carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, and trace amounts of other gases....
 pass through the pharynx, a flap of connective tissue called the epiglottis
Epiglottis

The epiglottis is a flap of elastic cartilage tissue covered with a mucous membrane, attached to the root of the tongue. It projects obliquely upwards behind the tongue and the hyoid bone....
 closes over the trachea when food is swallowed to prevent choking
Choking

Choking is the mechanical obstruction of the flow of air from the environment into the lungs. Choking prevents breathing, and can be partial or complete, with partial choking allowing some,...
 or aspiration
Pulmonary aspiration

In medicine, aspiration is the entry of secretions or foreign material into the Vertebrate trachea and lungs.The patient may either inhalation the material, or it may be blown into the lungs during positive pressure ventilation or CPR....
. In humans the pharynx is important in vocalization
Vocalization

Vocalization may refer to:*Speech communication*Vocal music*A type of animal communication involving their vocal cords*L-vocalization, a process by which an /l/ sound is replaced by a vowel or semivowel sound...
.

human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections:

oropharynx
Oropharynx

The Oropharynx reaches from the Uvula to the level of the hyoid bone.It opens anteriorly, through the isthmus faucium, into the mouth, while in its lateral wall, between the two palatine arches, is the palatine tonsil....
 lies behind the oral cavity.






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Functions

The pharynx is part of the digestive system and respiratory system
Respiratory system

A respiratory system?s function is to allow gas exchange. The space between the alveoli and the capillaries, the anatomy or structure of the exchange system, and the precise physiological uses of the exchanged gases vary depending on the organism....
 of many organisms.

Because both food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
 and air
Earth's atmosphere

The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by the Earth's gravity. Dry air contains roughly 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% Carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, and trace amounts of other gases....
 pass through the pharynx, a flap of connective tissue called the epiglottis
Epiglottis

The epiglottis is a flap of elastic cartilage tissue covered with a mucous membrane, attached to the root of the tongue. It projects obliquely upwards behind the tongue and the hyoid bone....
 closes over the trachea when food is swallowed to prevent choking
Choking

Choking is the mechanical obstruction of the flow of air from the environment into the lungs. Choking prevents breathing, and can be partial or complete, with partial choking allowing some,...
 or aspiration
Pulmonary aspiration

In medicine, aspiration is the entry of secretions or foreign material into the Vertebrate trachea and lungs.The patient may either inhalation the material, or it may be blown into the lungs during positive pressure ventilation or CPR....
. In humans the pharynx is important in vocalization
Vocalization

Vocalization may refer to:*Speech communication*Vocal music*A type of animal communication involving their vocal cords*L-vocalization, a process by which an /l/ sound is replaced by a vowel or semivowel sound...
.

Parts

The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections:

Oropharynx

The oropharynx
Oropharynx

The Oropharynx reaches from the Uvula to the level of the hyoid bone.It opens anteriorly, through the isthmus faucium, into the mouth, while in its lateral wall, between the two palatine arches, is the palatine tonsil....
 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.

Nasopharynx

The nasopharynx
Nasopharynx

The nasopharynx is the uppermost part of the pharynx. It extends from the base of the skull to the upper surface of the soft palate; it differs from the Mouth and larynx parts of the pharynx in that its cavity always remains patent ....
 lies behind the nasal cavity
Nasal cavity

The nasal cavity is a large air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face....
.

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.

Laryngopharynx

The laryngopharynx, also known as the hypopharynx
Hypopharynx

In human anatomy, the hypopharynx is the bottom part of the pharynx, and is the part of the throat that connects to the esophagus.The superior boundary of the hypopharynx is at the level of the hyoid bone....
, roughly corresponds to the levels between C4 to C6, it includes the pharyngo-esophageal junction (postcricoid area), the piriform sinus
Piriform sinus

On either side of the laryngeal orifice is a recess, termed the piriform sinus , which is bounded medially by the aryepiglottic fold, laterally by the thyroid cartilage and hyothyroid membrane....
, 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 inferior 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
Stomach

In most mammals, the stomach is a hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication....
; air enters the larynx anteriorly. During swallowing, food has the "right of way", and air passage temporarily stops.

Gallery


See also

  • Adenoid
    Adenoid

    Adenoids are a mass of lymphoid tissue situated at the very back of the nose, in the roof of the nasopharynx, where the nose blends into the mouth....
  • Eustachian tube
    Eustachian tube

    The Eustachian tube is a tube that links the pharynx to the middle ear. In adults the Eustachian tube is approximately 35 mm long. It is named after the sixteenth century anatomist Bartolomeo Eustachi....
  • Hyoid
  • Larynx
    Larynx

    The larynx , colloquially known as the voicebox, is an organ in the neck of mammals involved in protection of the vertebrate trachea and sound production....
  • Tonsil
    Tonsil

    Palatine tonsils, occasionally called the faucial tonsils, are the tonsils that can be seen on the left and right sides at the back of the throat....
  • Uvula
    Uvula

    The uvula is the conic projection from the posterior edge of the middle of the soft palate, composed of connective tissue containing a number of alveolar gland, and some muscular fibers ....


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