- Pharynx: funnel-shaped fibromuscular tube from the skull base to the oesophagus.
- Palatine tonsil: paired almond-shaped mass of lymphoid tissue in the tonsillar fossa of the oropharynx.
Extent, Boundaries and Subdivisions of the Pharynx
- Length 12 to 14 cm; width 3.5 cm at the base, 1.5 cm at the pharyngo-oesophageal junction.
- Boundaries: superior, base of skull; inferior, continuous with oesophagus at cricoid cartilage/C6; posterior, prevertebral fascia; lateral, neurovascular bundle of the neck.
- Three subdivisions, above downwards: nasopharynx, oropharynx, laryngopharynx.
subdivisions of the pharynx Subdivisions of the pharynx.