Mainly responsible for the passage of food and only to a small extent for the transit of air, the laryngopharynx begins at the height of the hyoid bone and the upper edge of the epiglottis, and ends at the cricoid cartilage and where the esophagus begins.
Covered with a multilayered squamous epithelium, the laryngeal hosts the so-called laryngeal aditus and the piriform sinus, along the antero-superior wall, the post-cricoid area, along the inferior-anterior wall, the posterior pharyngeal wall, along the posterior wall, and finally the middle constrictor, inferior constrictor and stylopharyngeal muscles.
By channeling the air introduced with breathing towards the larynx, the laryngopharynx plays a decisive role in the respiratory function; moreover, it is responsible for promoting swallowing.
The laryngopharynx is a potential site of a somewhat aggressive type of throat cancer called hypopharyngeal carcinoma.
As part of the pharynx, the laryngopharynx takes part in the constitution of the throat.
So called because it is close to the larynx, the laryngopharynx is also known by the name hypopharynx (the prefix "hypo" means "below" or "lower", therefore "hypopharynx" stands for "lower pharynx").
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