Upper airway bronchoscopic interpretation
Don Hayes, Kara D. Meister in Pediatric Bronchoscopy for Clinicians, 2022
This chapter provides an overview of the normal anatomy of the pediatric upper airway. It discusses the physical differences in upper airway anatomy. The chapter then describes tips for evaluating the normal and abnormal findings in the subsites of the pediatric upper airway. Upper airway evaluation usually starts by inserting an endoscope, either a flexible bronchoscope or a nasal endoscope, into the nasal cavity. The nasopharynx extends from the skull base to the inferior extent of the soft palate. In the nasopharynx, a common cause of obstruction in children is adenoid hypertrophy. Next, the soft palate, or velum, is encountered. When evaluating the posterior oral cavity and oropharynx, the endoscopist should take care to identify the palatine tonsils and their size and contribution to oropharyngeal collapse. The postcricoid region comprises the anterior wall of the hypopharynx. The subglottis is the narrowest portion of the neonatal airway and is bounded by the cricoid ring.
Head and Neck Cancer
David Krag in Surgical Oncology, 2000
Anatomy The head and neck region is generally divided into the oral cavity, nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, sinuses, and salivary glands (Fig. 5.1).The oral cavity begins at the vermilion border of the lips and extends posteriorly to the palatoglossal fold. It contains the lips, teeth, retromolar trigone, gingiva, buccal mucosa, hard palate and oral tongue. Behind the palatoglossal fold lies the palatine tonsils which are within the pharynx.
A case of anterior open bite with severely narrowed maxillary dental arch and hypertrophic palatine tonsils
Published in Journal of Orthodontics, 2008
Kotaro Tanimoto, Aya Suzuki, Yuki Nakatani, Tamami Yanagida, Yuki Tanne, Eiji Tanaka, Kazuo Tanne
This case report describes an adolescent patient with an open bite and severely narrowed maxillary dentition and hypertrophic palatine tonsils, treated efficiently with rapid maxillary expansion (RME) and subsequent orthodontic tooth alignment using fixed appliances. The treatment demonstrates that RME can be effective for the correction of a severely narrowed maxillary arch, as well as, in this case, the correction of an anterior open bite in an adolescent patient where no substantial vertical skeletal discrepancy existed.
Tonsillectomy as a treatment for psoriasis: A review
Published in Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2014
Wiggin Wu, Maya Debbaneh, Homayoun Moslehi, John Koo, Wilson Liao
Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that affects 1% to 3% of the general population worldwide. Streptococcal infection, especially streptococcal pharyngitis, has been shown to be a significant trigger of psoriasis in some patients, possibly by sensitizing T cells to keratin epitopes in the skin. Due to the role of the palatine tonsils as an immunological organ that may generate autoreactive T cells, tonsillectomy has been investigated as a treatment for psoriasis. Tonsillectomy originally gained acceptance in Japan as a treatment for palmoplantar pustulosis, a condition that shares features with pustular psoriasis. Subsequently, tonsillectomy has been used for the treatment of plaque psoriasis and guttate psoriasis. Recently, the first randomized, controlled clinical trial of tonsillectomy was performed. Here, we review the available evidence for the benefit of tonsillectomy as a treatment for palmoplantar pustulosis and psoriasis. We also discuss molecular studies aimed at understanding the role of tonsils in skin disease.
A ganglion cell cluster along the glossopharyngeal nerve near the human palatine tonsil
Published in Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 2013
Kazuha Oda, Yoshitaka Takanashi, Yukio Katori, Mineko Fujimiya, Gen Murakami, Tetsuaki Kawase
Conclusion: The lingual branches of the glossopharyngeal nerve were most likely to bring not only gustatory nerves to the postsulcal part of the tongue but also autonomic nerves to the small glands and vessels. Tonsillectomy may injure the ganglion or reduce its function due to scar formation after surgery. Objectives: To determine the topographical anatomy of a suggested ganglion cluster along the lingual branches of the glossopharyngeal nerve and to identify the incidence. Methods: In the human pharynges of 12 donated cadavers, we studied the ganglia using routine procedures for paraffin-embedded histology and immunohistochemistry. Results: Near the palatine tonsil, the lingual branches of the glossopharyngeal nerve often contained ganglion cells (in 9 of 12 specimens). The ganglion cells, 20–40 µ in diameter, were sparsely distributed along a 0.5–3.0 mm length of the nerve course attached to the posterolateral aspect of the superior pharyngeal constrictor. Most of these cells were positive for neuronal nitric oxide synthase, while some were positive for tyrosine hydroxylase. Thus, the ganglion was composed of a mixed population of sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons.