Anatomy of the Posterior Oropharyngeal Wall
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Hello everyone, Sidney Levy here rounding out
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our discussion on the anatomy of the oropharynx.
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In particular, I'd like to look at the
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posterior oropharyngeal wall briefly.
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I have axial and sagittal
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projections with T1-weighted imaging.
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And I'd just like to draw the
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posterior oropharyngeal wall for you.
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So where does it begin?
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On the sagittal projection it's easy because
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where it begins is where the nasopharynx ends
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superiorly, and where it ends is where the posterior
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hypopharyngeal wall begins as part of the hypopharynx.
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These are indirect relations because we
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tend to define the level of the posterior
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wall according to anterior structures.
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So what I mean by that is the junction of the posterior
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oropharyngeal wall and the nasopharynx is at the
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level of the pharyngeal isthmus, which is a line
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drawn between the tip of the uvula of the soft palate
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and the posterior pharyngeal wall at that level.
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Similarly, inferiorly, the posterior oropharyngeal wall
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ends at the level of the junction of the lingual and
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laryngeal surfaces of the epiglottis, which is here.
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And we just draw a line to the
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posterior pharyngeal wall at this level.
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And that is the junction of the posterior oropharyngeal
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wall and the posterior hypopharyngeal wall.
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The relationships of the posterior oropharyngeal wall
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laterally are best appreciated on the axial projection.
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So on the axial projection, anterolateral to the posterior
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oropharyngeal wall, which I'll draw here, we have the
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tonsils, or more specifically, the palatine tonsils.
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You can look for the exact junction if you can identify
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the posterior tonsillar pillar, which is just here.
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It connects the soft palate to
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the lateral oropharyngeal wall.
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So in summary, the posterior oropharyngeal wall is
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defined according to the level of the pharyngeal isthmus
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superiorly and the site at which the junction of the
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lingual and laryngeal surfaces of the epiglottis is.
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And its relationships are the nasopharynx
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superiorly, hypopharynx inferiorly, and
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the palatine tonsils anterolaterally.
Sidney Levy, PhD, MBBS
Radiologist and Nuclear Medicine Specialist
I-MED
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