Upper Respiratory Tract Part II

Today's Medical Topic:  Part II of Places You Shouldn't Put a Crayon

What Are We Looking For:   We are looking for specific identifiable structures in the model not covered in the first section.  Mostly structures of the larynx.  If you are in my A&P II class I am using the in room model thingy.

(Click for big)

Some notes on these structures:

The pharyngeal tonsil is much larger on this model than presented in most books.  I am not sure why.

The palantine tonsil is either covered by some strange representation of soft tissue (yellow stuff) or has been broken off on this model.  Just understand that this is where the palantine tonsil should be.

The vestibular fold and vocal fold are sort of strangely represented.  The white are supposed to be the vocal folds and the red are supposed to be the vestibular folds.  I think what they tried to do was represent the larynx "tube" cut at an oblique angle so that the top of the right and left sides are visible.  Try to look at it like a piece of penne pasta only at not such a steep angle.

 
The cricoid cartilage looks like it is two separate pieces but this is only the case because we are looking at a midsagittal slice of the head.  If the cricoid cartilage wasn't sliced through it would look like this:

So you can only see the most anterior and posterior part of it in the model.

We're done with all the parts you gotta know of the upper respiratory tract for now.  Everything else you need to study is in the book.

Send questions or comments to dudaday@gmail.com

Disclaimer:  I am not a health care provider, any information presented in this blog should not be considered advice it is mearly an outlet to slake my curiosity.  You should always consult your primary medical provider for any concerns or illness.  Unlike Tylenol, I am not approved by the FDA or American Medical Association to treat or provide relief for any ailment.