Laryngopharynx
Pars laryngea pharyngis
RespiratoryOrgansNeck
- What it is
- The lowest part of the pharynx (hypopharynx), from the epiglottis to the cricoid cartilage, lying behind the larynx with a piriform recess on either side.
- Function
- Channels swallowed food around the laryngeal inlet into the oesophagus.
- Size
- About 4–5 cm long, narrowing to ~1.5 cm at the upper oesophageal sphincter (level of C6).
- Clinical note
- Fish bones often lodge in the piriform recesses; a Zenker's diverticulum bulges through its back wall just above the cricopharyngeus.