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The pharynx (pl.: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the esophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs respectively). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its structure varies across species. The pharynx carries food to the esophagus and air to the larynx.
Diagram showing the parts of the pharynx. Date: 30 July 2014 (released by CRUK) Source: Original email from CRUK: Author: Cancer Research UK: Permission (Reusing this file) This image has been released as part of an open knowledge project by Cancer Research UK. If re-used, attribute to Cancer Research UK / Wikimedia Commons
In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the front part of the neck, internally positioned in front of the vertebrae. It contains the pharynx and larynx . An important section of it is the epiglottis , separating the esophagus from the trachea (windpipe), preventing food and drinks being inhaled into the lungs .
The pharyngeal muscles are a group of muscles that form the pharynx, which is posterior to the oral cavity, determining the shape of its lumen, and affecting its sound properties as the primary resonating cavity. The pharyngeal muscles (involuntary skeletal) push food into the esophagus.
The superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle is a quadrilateral muscle of the pharynx. It is the uppermost and thinnest of the three pharyngeal constrictors. [citation needed] The muscle is divided into four parts according to its four distincts origins: a pterygopharyngeal, buccopharyngeal, mylopharyngeal, and a glossopharyngeal part.
In humans and other mammals, the anatomy of a typical respiratory system is the respiratory tract.The tract is divided into an upper and a lower respiratory tract.The upper tract includes the nose, nasal cavities, sinuses, pharynx and the part of the larynx above the vocal folds.
The palatopharyngeal arch (pharyngopalatine arch, posterior pillar of fauces) is larger and projects further toward the middle line than the palatoglossal arch; it runs downward, lateralward, and backward to the side of the pharynx, and is formed by the projection of the palatopharyngeal muscle, covered by mucous membrane.
The danger space serves as an important pathway for complicated infections of the posterior pharynx to enter the chest and spinal column. Anterior to the parapharyngeal space is the masticator space which contains the lower dental row, muscles of mastication, the inferior alveolar nerve as well as branches of cranial nerve V.