Epiglottis Health Dictionary

Acute epiglottitis is a septicaemic illness which includes an acute in?ammatory OEDEMA of the EPIGLOTTIS, due to Haemophilus in?uenzae. It progresses very rapidly and a child can be dangerously ill or even die within hours of onset. Once recognised, however, it is easily and successfully treated by immediate transfer to hospital for emergency intubation and ventilation and use of antibiotics and steroids. Fortunately it is now very rare as a result of the introduction of haemophilus vaccine into the primary vaccination course of infants. (See LARYNGOTRACHEO-BRONCHITIS.)... epiglottitis

The organ in the throat responsible for voice production, commonly called the voice-box. The larynx lies between the pharynx and the trachea. It

consists of areas of cartilage, the largest of which is the thyroid cartilage that projects to form the Adam’s apple. Below it are the cricoid cartilage and the 2 pyramid-shaped arytenoid cartilages.

Inside the larynx are 2 fibrous sheets of tissue, the vocal cords, which vibrate to produce vocal sounds when air from the lungs passes through them. These vibrations are modified by the tongue, mouth, and lips to produce speech.

Attached to the top of the thyroid cartilage is the epiglottis, a leaf-shaped flap of cartilage that drops over the larynx to prevent food from entering the trachea when swallowing.... larynx

The process by which food or liquid is conveyed from the mouth tothe stomach via the oesophagus. Once food has been chewed and mixed with saliva to form a bolus, the tongue pushes the bolus to the back of the mouth and the voluntary muscles in the palate push it into the throat. The rest of the swallowing process occurs by a series of reflexes. Entry of food into the throat causes the epiglottis to tilt down to seal the trachea and the soft palate to move back in order to close off the naval cavity. The throat muscles push the food into the oesophagus. Waves of contraction (peristalsis) along the oesophagus propel the food towards the stomach. swallowing difficulty A common symptom with various possible causes, including a foreign object in the throat; insufficient production of saliva (see mouth, dry); a disorder of the oesophagus such as oesophageal stricture; pressure on the oesophagus, for example from a goitre; a nervous system disorder such as myasthenia gravis or stroke; or a psychological problem such as globus hystericus.

Investigations of swallowing difficulty may include oesophagoscopy or barium swallow (see barium X-ray examinations).

Treatment depends on the cause.... swallowing

The tongue is made up of several muscles, is richly supplied with blood vessels and nerves, and is covered by highly specialised MUCOUS MEMBRANE. It consists of a free part known as the tip, a body, and a hinder ?xed part or root. The under-surface lies upon the ?oor of the mouth, whilst the upper surface is curved from side to side, and still more from before backwards so as to adapt it to the roof of the mouth. At its root, the tongue is in contact with, and ?rmly united to, the upper edge of the LARYNX; so that in some persons who can depress the tongue readily the tip of the EPIGLOTTIS may be seen projecting upwards at its hinder part.

Structure The substance of the tongue consists almost entirely of muscles running in various directions. The tongue also has numerous outside attachments: one muscle on each side unites it to the lower jaw-bone just behind the chin, and this muscle serves to protrude the tongue from the mouth; other muscles, which retract the tongue, attach it to the hyoid bone, the larynx, the PALATE, and the styloid process on the base of the SKULL.

The mucous membrane on the undersurface of the tongue is very thin. In the middle line, a fold of mucous membrane, the frenum, passes from the under-surface to the ?oor of the mouth; when this frenum is attached too far forwards towards the tip of the tongue, the movements of the organ are impeded – the condition being known as tongue-tie. On the upper surface or dorsum of the tongue, the mucous membrane is thicker, and in its front two-thirds is studded with projections or papillae, most of which are conical. Some of them end in long ?laments, and are then known as ?liform papillae. On the tip, and towards the edges of the tongue, small, red, rounded fungiform papillae are seen, which act as end-organs for the sense of taste – as do circumvallate papillae, each of which is surrounded by a trench along which open numerous taste-buds. These taste-buds are also found in the fungiform papillae, scattered over

the throat, FAUCES, and palate. Five nerves, originating from the ?fth, seventh, ninth, tenth and 12th cervical nerves supply the tongue.... tongue

A type of connective tissue made up of varying membrane amounts of the gellike substance collagen. Cartilage forms

Bone an important structural component of various parts of the skeletal system, inSynovial cluding the joints. fluid There are 3 main Hyaline types. Hyaline carcartilage tilage is a tough, smooth tissue that lines the surfaces of joints. Fibrocartilage is solid and strong and makes up the intervertebral discs that are situated between the bones of the spine and the shock-absorbing pads in joints. Elastic cartilage is soft and rubbery and found in structures such as the outer ear and the epiglottis.... cartilage

A common condition in infants and young children in which narrowing and inflammation of the airways causes hoarseness, stridor (a grunting noise during breathing), and a barking cough.

Croup may be caused by a viral or bacterial infection that affects the larynx, epiglottis (see epiglottitis), or trachea. Other causes include diphtheria, allergy, spasm caused by deficient calcium in the blood, and inhalation of a foreign body. Most cases are due to a viral infection and are mild.

Humidifying the air can help to make breathing easier. Nebulized corticosteroid drugs (see nebulizer) and oxygen may be prescribed. Infections are treated with antibiotic drugs.... croup

n. a device used to inspect the larynx. This can be for diagnostic purposes, to facilitate surgery on the laryngeal structures, or to aid insertion of an endotracheal tube (see intubation). Diagnostic laryngoscopes for use on awake patients are generally fibreoptic devices that are introduced through the mouth or nose. Surgical laryngoscopes are hollow tubes that are passed through the mouth and pharynx and are often used in conjunction with an *operating microscope. Intubating or anaesthetic laryngoscopes consist of a handle and a curved blade, fitted with a light, for moving the tongue and epiglottis aside.... laryngoscope

n. noisy breathing while asleep due to vibration of the soft palate, uvula, pharyngeal walls, or epiglottis. In children it is often associated with enlargement of the tonsils and adenoids. Treatments of snoring include weight loss, tobacco and alcohol avoidance, adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy, nasal airway surgery, *uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, or other forms of *palatoplasty.... snoring

n. that part of the *larynx that lies above the vocal folds and includes the *epiglottis.... supraglottis

the sensory receptors concerned with the sense of taste (see illustration). They are located in the epithelium that covers the surface of the *tongue, lying in the grooves around the papillae, particularly the circumvallate papillae. Taste buds are also present in the soft palate, the epiglottis, and parts of the pharynx. When a taste cell is stimulated by the presence of a dissolved substance impulses are sent via nerve fibres to the brain. From the anterior two-thirds of the tongue impulses pass via the facial nerve. The taste buds in the posterior third of the tongue send impulses via the glossopharyngeal nerve.... taste buds