Upper Respiratory Tract Anatomy

• Nose has role of:

  • moistens air
  • warms air
  • filters air
• Nose:

  • contains olfactory receptors - receptors for smell
  • provides resonance chamber for speech
• • At the back of the nose is your nasopharynx
  • Pharynx means throat, the nasopharynx is the superior part of your throat
  • Below the nasopharynx is the oropharynx

  
• • both the nasopharynx and oropharynx deal with different substances
  • as the nasopharynx only deals with air, its epithelium is less tough - pseudostratified epithelium
  • whereas epithelium in the oropharynx deals with food, drinks and air, so its epithelium is tougher - stratified epithelium

  
• • below the oropharynx is the laryngopharynx
  • anteriorly this goes to your larynx which goes to your trachea, which leads to your lungs
  • posteriorly this goes to your oesophagus, which leads to your stomach

  
• • your larynx contains your vocal cords
  • superior to your larynx is the epiglottis which acts as a protective flap, which stops unwanted substances going down to the lungs

  
• Upper respiratory trachea anatomy

  A) nasopharynx

  B) oropharynx

  C) Epiglottis

  D) laryngopharynx

  E) oesophagus

  F) larynx

  G) trachea