structure of the airway Flashcards
(29 cards)
what is the difference between the conducting and respiratory portions of the airway?
the conducting portion does not involve any gas exchange
where does the conducting portion start and end?
from the nasal cavity/mouth to the bronchioles
what happens to air as it passes through the conducting respiratory tract?
it is warmed, filtered and humidified
what are the nares? (sing. Naris)
the inlet to the nose (the nostrils)
why are the nares lined with hair? (vibrissae)
to trap invading foreign bodies
what type of epithelium is the conducting portion of the airway lined with?
pseudo stratified, ciliated, columnar cells which are interspersed with goblet cells to produce mucus
what is the purpose of the cilia in the airway?
they beat to move mucus up out of the lungs to be swallowed.
what are the conchae and what is their purpose?
these are folds of the nasal mucosa which hang down and have areas called meatus behind the. the main purpose of these is to increase surface area for the air to be warmed. The middle meatus provides an opening for sinuses to drain into.
what are the hard and soft palate and what are their purpose?
the hard palate is composed of bone, the soft palate is composed of cartilage. bot separate the nasal cavity fro the oropharynx below it.
what is the nasolacrimal duct?
a duct that drains tears from the eyes into the inferior meatus in the nasal cavity.
what is the kiesselbach area in the nasal cavity?
an area rich in anatomising arteries
what is the pharynx divided into?
the nasopharynx (behind the nasal cavity); the oropharynx (behind the tongue) and the laryngopharynx (area where the pharynx divides into oesophagus and trachea)
what type of cells are the nasopharynx and oropharynx lined with?
stratified squamous epithelia
what is the larynx?
the cartilage located just below the laryngopharynx. Involved in voice production (often called the ‘voice box’) composed of 9 different cartilage structures.
what is the hyoid bone?
the hyoid bone is the only bone of the larynx, located at the top. It is a horse shoe shape open at the back.
what is the thyroid cartilage?
the largest cartilage of the larynx, two medial planes fuse to form the laryngeal prominence (‘adam’s apple’)
what is the cricoid cartilage?
a signet ring shaped piece of cartilage, inferior to the thyroid cartilage. the front is narrower and called the arch, the posterior part is called the lamina.
what is the median cricothyroid ligament?
the ligament that attaches the cricoid and thyroid cartilages and is also the site for emergency access to the airway.
what are the arytenoids?
horn shaped small cartilage structures which sit on either side of the cricoid cartilage. these cartilages are articled with the cricoid cartilage an can rotate, slide towards and away from each other and tilt anteriorly and posteriorly. These movements are important in approximating, tensing and relaxing the vocal cords.
what are corniculate?
horn shaped cartilages located on top of the arytenoids.
why are the arytenoids and corniculates indented?
to provide an attachment for muscles.
what is the epiglottis?
a flap of elastic cartilage covered in mucous membrane. It is attached at one end to the thyro-epiglottic ligament.
what is the quadrangular membrane?
a thin, sub-mucosal sheet of connective tissue that joins the epiglottic cartilage to the lateral aspects of the arytenoids.
what is the vestibular fold?
the fold formed from the vestibular ligament (from the quadrangular membrane) which lies superiorly to the vocal fold. often called the false vocal cords.
