1.2 wbk URT anatomy

Question 1

what does the URT comprise of ?

Answer 1

• nose & paranasal sinuses
• pharynx
• larynx

Question 2

Which part of the respiratory tract is termed the URT ?

Answer 2

the part above the lower border of the cricoid cartilage (which forms the lower border of the larynx)

Question 3

3 respiratory functions of the URT ?

Answer 3

• conducting air from atmosphere to LRT
• conditioning of inspired air (warming, humidification, trapping of particles)
• protection of the airway during swallowing (larynx)

Question 4

functions of URT that aren’t respiratory related ?

Answer 4

• swallowing (oropharynx & laryngopharynx)
• smell (olfactory epithelium in nose)
• speech (larynx)

Question 5

How is the nasal cavity divided ?

Answer 5

into R & L cavities by the median nasal septum

Question 6

Each nasal cavity extends from the nostril or …1… in front to the posterior …2… / …3…. , behind, through which the nasal cavity communicates with the …4… situated behind it.

Answer 6

1. anterior nares
2. nares
3. choanae
4. nasopharynx

Question 7

What does the lateral wall of each nasal cavity contain ?

Answer 7

3 bony projections known as conchae or turbinates
(superior, middle & inferior)

Question 8

What i pace below each turbinate known as ?

Answer 8

meatus (superior, middle, inferior)

Question 9

What opens into the meatus ?

Answer 9

paranasal sinuses and the naso-lacrimal duct which drains tears from the eye

Question 10

the floor of the nasal cavity forms what ?

Answer 10

the roof of the mouth, which is the hard & soft palates

Question 11

1. how many paranasal sinuses exist ?
2. how are they named ?
3. what are the names ?

Answer 11

1. 4
2. for the skull bones within which they are situated
3. frontal, ethmoidal, maxillary , spehnoidal

Question 12

paranasal sinuses are ..1.. cavities in the skull that open into the …2… and are lined by ..3…

Answer 12

1. air-containing
2. nasal cavity
3. respiratory epithelium

Question 13

What role do the turbinates play in the nose?

Answer 13

increase the surface area for warming and humidification,

cause turbulence, and slow down airflow to increase the time available for these changes to occur.

Question 14

How do the paranasal sinuses contribute to the function of the nose?

Answer 14

warming and humidification of inhaled air

Question 15

What is the function of the coarse hairs lining the nostrils?

Answer 15

trap large particles in inhaled air

Question 16

How is humidification of the air achieved in the nasal passage?

Answer 16

by transudation of fluid through the epithelium and to a lesser extent by mucus secretion

Question 17

What role do goblet cells play in the nasal passage?

Answer 17

secrete mucus that traps almost all particles greater than 5 micrometres

Question 18

What happens to the mucus and trapped particles in the nasal passage?

Answer 18

cilia waft the mucus to the oropharynx where it is swallowed

Question 19

Why is nose breathing preferred over mouth breathing?

Answer 19

the nose always remains open, unlike the mouth, and it prevents the lower air passages from drying out and becoming more vulnerable to infection

Question 20

What can happen to the lower air passages if nose breathing is impossible?

Answer 20

the lower air passages can dry out and become more vulnerable to infection

Question 21

What is a potential consequence of mouth breathing during exercise, especially for asthmatics?

Answer 21

can lead to drying and cooling of the bronchial mucous membranes

which is thought to be a mechanism of bronchoconstriction in asthmatics.

Question 22

How can infections of the upper respiratory tract spread from the nasal cavity? & where to does the spread happen ?

Answer 22

Via their respective openings

• paranasal sinuses
• pharynx
• larynx
• middle ear
• eye

Question 23

what are the 3 parts that pharynx consists of ?

Answer 23

• nasopharynx
• oropharynx
• laryngo (hypo) pharynx

Question 24

1. where does the nasopharynx lie ?
2. which part of pharynx ?

Answer 24

1. behind the nose
2. above the level of the soft palate

Question 25

1. where does the oropharynx lie ? 2. which part of pharynx ?

Answer 25

1. behind the mouth & 2. between soft palate & tip of epiglottis

Question 26

1. where does laryngopharynx lie ? 2. which part of pharynx ?

Answer 26

1. behind the larynx 2. between tip of epiglottis & lower border of the cricoid cartilage

Question 27

what has a common passage through parts of the pharynx ?

Answer 27

air & food

Question 28

Failure of mechanisms to prevent aspiration of food particles during swallowing can lead to / cause what ?

Answer 28

potentially life-threatening airway obstruction and/or infection (aspiration pnemuonia)

Question 29

What does the eustachian tube allow ?

Answer 29

the air pressure in the middle ear cavity to be equalised to atmospheric pressure

Question 30

Via what can URTI spread to middle ear cavity resulting in what ?

Answer 30

via auditory tube resulting in = middle ear infection (acute otitis media)

Question 31

What is the role of the vocal cords in respiration and swallowing?

Answer 31

act as a sphincter or valve, guarding the entrance to the trachea by being open during respiration and closed during swallowing

Question 32

What risk is associated with dysfunctional vocal cords?

Answer 32

increase the risk of aspiration of food or liquid into the respiratory tract

Question 33

Why is the ability to close the vocal cords necessary?

Answer 33

for an effective cough reflex, which is a protective mechanism to expel inhaled particles and clear excessive secretions from the airways

Question 34

How can laryngeal disease present itself?

Answer 34

airway obstruction and difficulty in breathing

Question 35

What can a voice change indicate in relation to serious intra-thoracic disease?

Answer 35

It can be the first sign of serious intra-thoracic disease due to the involvement of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve in the thorax

Question 36

cartilaginous skeleton of the larynx is made up by what ?

Answer 36

* unpaired cartilages - the epiglottis, thyroid cartilage & cricoid cartilages & * 1 set of paired cartilages - the arytenoid cartilages

Question 37

what together is termed thhe glottis ?

Answer 37

the vocal cords + aperture between the cords

Question 38

1. Describe action of adduction of vocal cords 2. this action results in what ?

Answer 38

1. movement of vocal cords towards the midline 2. closing the aperture e.g. during swallowing (glottis closed)

Question 39

what results in the opening of the vocal cords aperture ? e.g during inspiration

Answer 39

Movements of the vocal cords away from the midline = abduction of the vocal cords

Question 40

what happens to vocal cords during the following ? 1. swallowing 2. inspiration 3. speech (phonation) 4. initial part of the cough reflex

Answer 40

1. adducted 2. open 3. partially open 4. adducted

Question 41

What muscles are the vocal cords moved by ?

Answer 41

small intrinsic laryngeal muscles

Question 42

which muscles moves the entire larynx but not the vocal cords ?

Answer 42

extrinsic laryngeal muscles

Question 43

which nerve supplies all intrinsic muscles except the cricothyroid muscle ?

Answer 43

recurrent laryngeal

Question 44

Why can intra thoracic disease compressing / infiltrating the nerve result in a hoarse voice ?

Answer 44

paralysis of the left vocal cord because the nerve on the left side has a long course , part of which is inside the thoracic cavity

Question 45

Aspiration of food into the trachea is prevented by what ?

Answer 45

adduction of the vocal cords

Question 46

what's another mechanism to prevent aspiration apart from adduction of the vocal cords ?

Answer 46

epiglottis folds downwards to cover the laryngeal inlet

Question 47

Difficulty in breathing can occure due to problems in the larynx causing narrowing / obstruction of the glottis including what ?

Answer 47

* laryngeal tumour or vocal cord tumours * larygeal oedema * bilateral vocal cord paralysis

Question 48

laryngeal oedema can be due to what ?

Answer 48

* allergic reactions (e.g. anaphylaxis) * severe infections (e.g. croup or acute epiglottitis)

Question 49

Difficulty in breathing may also be due to problems in other parts of the URT other than problems in the larynx what could they be ?

Answer 49

* breathing problems in nose - polyps, tumours - results in mouth breathing * problems in pharynx

Question 50

# [](http://) How can problems in the pharynx result in difficulty in breathing ?

Answer 50

* tumours * airway of an unconscious person lying on his back may be obstructed by the tongue falling backward obstructing the pharynx