by Christobel Rajesh

Created on: January 29, 2009

Pharynx is a tube like structure that connects the nasal and oral cavities to the larynx. Pharynx is nothing but throat. It is divided into nasal, oral, and laryngeal pharynx. The nasopharynx is located posterior to the nose and is above the soft palate. The oropharynx houses the faucial, or palatine, tonsils. The laryngopharynx extends from the hyoid bone to the cricoid cartilage. The entrance of the larynx is formed by the epiglottis.

Pharynx is a part of the neck and it corresponds to C4 and C6 spinal levels. The nerve supply is through pharyngeal plexus, the arterial supply is through pharyngeal branches of ascending pharyngeal artery, ascending palatine, descending palatine, and pharyngeal branches of inferior thyroid, and the venous supply is through pharyngeal veins. It is a common pathway for both air and food till they diverge as larynx and esophagus.

The function of the pharynx is to provide a passageway for the respiratory and digestive tracts. The role of pharynx is very important in our human body because it has to coordinate both inspiration and swallowing while eating, otherwise may lead to aspiration and death. This coordination is maintained with the help of another organ called epiglottis. Epiglottis is a flap like structure that is present at the opening of the larynx. This flap covers the larynx temporarily and prevents the food from entering the lungs during the act of swallowing.

A tongue depressor or a tongue blade is generally used to visualize the pharynx adequately. The tongue blade is placed beyond the midpoint of the tongue and is pressed firmly to visualize the pharynx clearly. Proper placement of tongue blade will avoid gag reflex which will help the person cooperate better and the physician to examine better. But a tongue blade is not always required to examine the pharynx. They are also be inspected by telling the person to tip the head backward, open the mouth wide, take a deep breath, and say 'aah'. Doing this will flatten the posterior part of the tongue briefly and expose the pharynx.

The pharynx is inspected for color, symmetry, and evidence of exudates, ulceration, or enlargement. As any other organ, pharynx can be infected and this infection is commonly called as sore throat. Infection of the pharynx, called as pharyngitis is very common because it is the pathway for food and air which are main cause of infection. Any change in the structure and function of the pharynx should be taken seriously because they can be cancerous or may indicate other underlying diseases like AIDS.

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