RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
through two openings called internal
Structural classification:
 Upper respiratory system: nose, nasal
cavity, pharynx, associated structures
 Lower respiratory system: larynx,
trachea, bronchi, lungs
Functional classification
 Conducting zone: series of
interconnecting cavities and tubes both
outside and within lungs (nose, nasal
cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea,
bronchi, bronchioles, and terminal
bronchioles); function: filter, warm, and
moisten air and conduct it to the lungs
 Respiratory zone: tubes and tissues
within the lungs where gas exchange
occurs (respiratory bronchioles, alveolar
ducts, alveolar sacs, alveoli)
Otorhinolaryngology: diagnosis and treatment
of diseases of the ENT
Pulmonologist: specialist in the diagnosis and
treatment of diseases of lungs
Nose
- Consists of a visible external portion
(frontal bone + nasal bones + maxilla =
bony framework; septal nasal cartilage
+ lateral nasal cartilages + alar cartilage
= cartilaginous framework; external
nares); an internal portion inside the
skull called nasal cavity (three
functions: warm, moist, filter air; detect
olfactory stimuli; modify speech
vibrations; nasal septum dividing nasal
cavity into left and right sides; anterior
portion of nasal septum: hyaline
cartilage, vomer, perpendicular plate,
maxillae, palatine; nasal cavity
communicated with the pharynx
nares or choanae; paranasal sinuses
and nasolacrimal ducts open into nasal
cavity
- Paranasal sinuses: frontal, sphenoid,
ethmoid, and maxillae
- Lateral walls of the internal nose:
ethmoid, maxillae, lacrimal, palatine,
inferior nasal conchae
- Ethmoid forms the roof
- Floor of internal nose: palatine bones
and palatine processes of the maxillae
which constitute the hard palate
- Respiratory region is lined with
pseudostratified ciliated columnar
epithelium with numerous goblet cells
- Olfactory receptor cells, supporting
cells, basal cells = olfactory epithelium;
contains cilia but no goblet cells
Tonsillectomy – surgical removal of tonsils
Pharynx
- Funnel-shaped
- From internal nares to level of cricoid
cartilage (most inferior cartilage of
larynx)
- Passageway for air and food, provides
resonating chamber for speech sounds,
houses tonsils
- Three anatomical regions:
 Nasopharynx
- nasal cavity to soft palate
- soft palate: posterior portion
of mouth’s roof; five openings:
two internal nares, two
openings that lead into the
auditory (pharyngotympanic)
tubes (aka Eustachian tubes),
and opening into oropharynx;
 posterior wall contains
pharyngeal tonsil/adenoid
- nasopharynx exchanges small
amounts of air with auditory
tubes to equalize air pressure
between middle ear and
atmosphere
 Oropharynx
- middle/intermediate portion
- posterior to oral cavity
- soft palate to hyoid bone
- one opening, the fauces,
opening from the mouth
- has both respiratory and
digestive functions
- because it is subject to
abrasion, it is lined with
nonkeratinized stratified
squamous epithelium
- palatine and lingual tonsils
are found in here
 Laryngopharynx/hypopharynx
- hyoid bone to esophagus
posteriorly and larynx anteriorly
- just like oropharynx’s lining
and function
Larynx
 Voice box
 Short passageway that connects
laryngopharynx with trachea
 Lies in the middle of neck anterior to
esophagus; C4-C6
 Walls are composed of nine pieces of
cartilage (thyroid, epiglottis, cricoid, 2
arytenoid, 2 cuneiform, 2 corniculate);
arytenoid yung pinakaimportante dahil
inuumplwensyahan yung changes in
position at tension of vocal cords
 Laryngeal vestibule –portion of larynx’s
cavity above the vestibular folds (false
vocal cords)
 Infraglottic cavity – portion of larynx’s
cavity below the vocal folds
 Thyroid cartilage – adam’s apple;
consists of two fused plates of hyaline
cartilage that form the anterior wall of
the larynx and give it a triangular shape;
thyrohyoid membrane – ligament that
connects thyroid cartilage to hyoid
bone
 Epiglottis – large, leaf-shaped piece of
elastic cartilage covered with
epithelium; elevation of pharynx widens
it to receive food or drink; elevation of
larynx causes it to move down and form
a lid over the glottis; rima glottides:
space between vocal folds
 Cricoid cartilage – ring of hyaline
cartilage that forms the inferior wall of
the larynx ; attached to the first ring of
trachea’s cartilage by cricotracheal
ligament; thyroid cartilage is connected
to it by cricothyroid ligament; landmark
for making an emergency airway called
tracheotomy
 Paired arytenoid cartilages – triangular
pieces of mostly hyaline cartilage
located at the posterior, superior
border of the cricoid cartilage. They
form synovial joints with the cricoid
cartilage and have a wide range of
mobility.
 Corniculate cartilage – horn-shaped; at
the apex of each arytenoid
 Paired cuneiform – club-
shaped/wedge-shaped; anterior to
corniculate cartilages; support the vocal
fold and lateral aspects of epiglottis
 The lining of the larynx superior to the
vocal folds is nonkeratinized stratified
squamous epithelium. The lining of the
larynx inferior to the vocal folds is
pseudostratified ciliated columnar
epithelium consisting of ciliated
 columnar cells, goblet cells, and basal seromucous glands and their ducts),
cells. (3) hyaline cartilage, and (4)
adventitia (composed of areolar
connective tissue)

The Structures of Voice Production

Bronchi

 Right bronchus is more vertical, shorter,

 Superior pair: vestibular folds (false); and wider than the left kaya mas
inferior pair: vocal folds (true); space maraming hangin
between is rima vestibule  Pseudostratified ciliated columnar
 Function ng vestibular folds ay epithelium
makahinga si perso against pressure in  Carina – kung saan nagd-divide yung
the thoracic cavity pag nagbubuhat ng trachea into right and left brochi
mabigat
 Air passing through the larynx vibrates
the folds and produces sound by setting
up sound waves in the column of air in
the pharynx, nose, and mouth; variation
in the pitch of sounds is related to the
tension in vocal folds; greater air
pressure, louder sound
 contraction of the lateral cricoarytenoid
muscles moves the vocal folds together
(adduction), thereby closing the rima
glottides
 Contraction of the posterior
cricoarytenoid muscles, for example,
moves the vocal folds apart (abduction),
thereby opening the rima glottides

Trachea

 Windpipe
 Anterior to esophagus; from larynx
to superior border of T5 where it
divides into right and left primary
bronchi
 The layers of the tracheal wall,
from deep to superficial, are the (1)
mucosa (pseudostratified ciliated
columnar), (2) submucosa (areolar
connective tissue that contains