ANATOMY OF
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Christeena Varghese
1st yr MSc RT
THE HUMAN RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
• Respiratory system forms a pathway through which air passes from
nose to lungs
• EXCHANGE OF GASES [inspiration &expiration]
• FUNCTIONS
1.Filters
2.Warms and
3.Humidifies
ANATOMY OF RESPIRATORY TRACT
• Respiratory tract can be divided into 2
1. UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT
Nose
Nasal cavity
Paranasal sinuses
Pharynx
Larynx
2.LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT
Wind pipe[trachea]
Bronchi
Alveoli
Anatomy of respiratory tracts can be divided
1.Structurally
2.Functionally
1.STRUCTURALLY
UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT
• Nose Larynx
• Nasal cavity Trachea
• Sinuses Bronchial tree
• Pharynx Lungs
2.FUNCTIONALLY
CONDUCTING PORTION RESPIRATORY PORTION
Nose Bronchioles
Pharynx Alveolar ducts
Larynx Alveoli
Trachea
bronchi
UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT
NOSE
Positioned between forehead and upper lip
First organ of respiratory system
Performs process of warming , moistening and filtering of inhaled air
It has two portions
The external nose[nose]
The internal nose[nasal cavity]
Bony and cartilaginous
Nose is a bony and cartilaginous structure
• Bony part is made up of
frontal
nasal and
maxillae bones
• Cartilaginous part is made up of
septal
lateral and
alar cartilages(wings of nose)
THE NASAL CAVITY
• Extends from external(anterior)nares to the posterior (choanae) nares
• Presence of lysozymes
• Connected to four sinuses
• Divided into right and left halves by the nasal septum
• The nasal vestibule is the area of nasal cavity lying just inside the
nostrils(beginning of each nasal passage)
• Each halves has a floor, roof, lateral wall and a medial wall
Floor and roof of nasal cavity
• Floor is formed by upper surface of hard palate(palatine process of
maxilla and horizontal plate of the palatine bone)
• Roof is narrow and is formed
Anteriorly : nasal and frontal bones
Middle :cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone
Posteriorly :body of sphenoid
Medial wall or septal wall
• Formed by nasal septum
• Septum is made up of
Septal cartilage
Perpendicular plate of the ethmoid
The vomer
The septum rarely lies in the middle, thus increasing the size of one
half of the nasal cavity and decreasing the size of the other
LATERAL WALL
1.Upper part : formed by nasal surface of labyrinth of ethmoid bone
2.Posterior part : formed by perpendicular plate of palatine bone
3. Lower and anterior part : formed by nasal surface of maxilla
It has three projections of bone called
1.superior
2.middle and
3.inferior nasal conchae
space below each conchae is called as meatus
ORAL CAVITY
• Extends from the lips to oropharyngeal isthmus(junction of mouth and pharynx)
• It is bounded
Above - soft palate and palatoglossal folds
Below – dorsum of tongue
The roof of oral cavity consists of two parts
1.HARD PALATE: anterior part that contains bone
2.SOFT PALATE: posterior portion that consist of skeletal muscles and connective
tissue
UVULA-posterior portion of soft palate
ANATOMY OF PHARYNX
• Hollow muscular tube in the middle of the neck
• LOCATION: behind the cavities of nose , mouth, larynx
• 12-14 cm in length
• Width-at base 3.5 cm and 1.5 cm at pharyngo- esophageal junction
PHARYNX is divided into 3
a) Nasopharynx
b) Oropharynx
c) Laryngopharynx
NASOPHARYNX
• LOCATION: Posterior portion of nasal cavity and superior portion of
soft palate
• Lined with pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium
• Adenoids (pharyngeal tonsil)
• Inflammation completely blocks the passage of air through nose and
throat
OROPHARYNX
• LOCATION:
• Superiorly-soft palate
Inferiorly-base of tongue
• Two groups of tonsils present
1.palatine tonsil(palatopharyngeal &palatoglossal)
2.lingual tonsil(base of tongue)
LARYNGOPHARYNX
(HYPOPHARYNX)
• LOCATION: base of tongue and entrance of esophagus
• Aryepiglottic folds – Sphincter during swallowing
• Pharyngeal reflex – gag /swallowing reflex
(glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves)
LARYNX
• VOICE BOX
• Location: base of tongue and upper end of trachea
• Mainly has 3 functions
CARTILAGES OF LARYNX
3 SINGLE/UNPAIRED -1.THYROID CARTILAGE
2.CRICOID CARTILAGE
3.EPIGLOTTIS
3 PAIRED CARTILAGES-1.ARYTENOID CARTILAGE
2.CORNICULATE CARTILAGE
3.CUNEIFORM CARTILAGE
Thyroid cartilage is the largest cartilage of larynx
TRACHEA
• Wind pipe
• Length-10cm , width – 2cm
• Connects larynx with bronchus
• Opposite to C-6 vertebrae
• C – shaped cartilaginous rings
TRACHEOBRONCHIAL TREE
• MAJOR DIVISIONS OF TRACHEOBRONCHIAL TREE
A.CONDUCTING ZONE
Trachea - 0 generations
main stem bronchus -1 CARTILAGENOUS
lobar bronchi -2
segmental bronchi -3
Sub segmental bronchi - 4-9
Bronchioles - 10-15 NON - CARTILAGENOUS
Terminal bronchioles - 16-19
Respiratory bronchioles - 20-23
B. RESPIRATORY ZONE
Alveolar duct - 24-27 SITE OF GAS EXCHANGE
Alveolar sac -28
ALVEOLI
• Functional unit of gas exchange
• Composed of 3 generations of RESPIRATORY BRONCHIOLES,3
generations of ALVEOLAR DUCT and ending in 15-20 grapelike clusters
called as ALVEOLAR SAC.
• Surfactant production
• PORES OF KOHN
small holes in the anterior wall of alveolar septa that permits gas to
move between adjacent alveoli
LUNGS
• Pair of respiratory organ situated in thoracic cavity
• In young- lungs are brown or grey in colour
• Right lung weighs 700g which is 50-100 g heavier than left lung
• Conical in shape and has
APEX at upper end
BASE resting on diaphragm
Three borders(anterior , posterior and inferior)
Two surfaces(costal and medial)
Fissures and lobes
• Right lung divided into THREE lobes and TWO fissures(horizontal and
oblique)
• Left lung divided into TWO lobes and a fissure(oblique)
BRONCHOPULMONARY SEGMENTS
MUSCLES OF RESPIRATION
• INSPIRATORY MUSCLES
• Diaphragm –major muscle of ventilation
• Nerve supply- phrenic nerve
• External intercostal muscles
• ACESSORY MUSCLES OF INSPIRSTION
scalene , sternocleidomastoid , pectoralis major , trapezius
• Muscles of expiration
Elastic recoiling
ACESSORY MUSCLES OF EXPIRATION
1.Rectus abdominis
2.Transverse abdominis
3.External abdominal oblique
4.Internal abdominal oblique
5.Internal intercostal muscles
