The Pharynx

The pharynx is the upper part of the combined air and food passages (aero-digestive tract). It leads to the oesophagus and is divided for descriptive purposes into three parts (Figure 21.1): the nasopharynx, the oropharynx (Figure 21.2) and the hypopharynx. The nasopharynx is between the skull base and the level of the hard palate and contains the adenoids (in children) and the entrance to the Eustachian tubes. The boundaries of the oropharynx are the level of the hard palate down to the level of the vallecula – this is the junction between the base of the tongue and the epiglottis. The structures within the oropharynx include the tonsils, base of the tongue and the soft palate. The hypopharynx extends between the level of the vallecula to the cricopharynx which is the muscular sphincter at the upper end of the oesophagus.

Swallowing

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