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Information about Vertebrate Trachea

“Windpipe” redirects here. For other uses, see Windpipe (disambiguation).
Conducting passages.
Laryngoscopic view of interior of larynx. (Trachea labeled at bottom.)
subject #237 1084
Arterytracheal branches of inferior thyroid artery
MeSH Trachea
The trachea, or windpipe, is a tube that has an inner diameter of about 20-25 mm and a length of about 10-16cm. It extends from the larynx to the primary (main) bronchi in mammals, and from the pharynx to the syrinx in birds, allowing the passage of air to the lungs. It is lined with pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium cells with mucosae goblet cells which produce mucus. This lines the cells of the trachea to trap inhaled foreign particles which the cilia then waft upwards towards the larynx and then the pharynx where it can then be swallowed into the stomach.

In humans there are about 15 – 20 incomplete C-shaped cartilaginous rings which reinforces the anterior and lateral sides of the trachea to protect and maintain the airway open. There is a piece of smooth muscle connecting the ends off the incomplete cartilaginous rings called the Trachealis muscle. This contracts reducing the size of the lumen of the trachea to increase the air flow rate during coughing. The esophagus lies posteriorly to the trachea. The cartilaginous rings are incomplete because this allows the trachea to collapse slightly to allow food to pass down the esophagus. The epiglottis is the flap that closes the trachea during swallowing to prevent swallowed matter from entering the trachea.

Clinical significance

Endotracheal intubation is the medical procedure of inserting an artificial tube into the trachea to provide a secure route for ventilating the lungs.

Tracheotomy is a surgical procedure of making an opening in the front of the neck that extends to the lumen of the trachea, a short tube called a tracheostomy tube is inserted through this opening, entering below the level of the larynx and vocal cords.

Additional images


Section of the neck at about the level of the sixth cervical vertebra.

Front view of heart and lungs.

The tracheobronchial lymph glands.

Ligaments of the larynx. Posterior view.

Coronal section of larynx and upper part of trachea.

Muscles of larynx. Posterior view.

Muscles of larynx. Side view. Right lamina of thyroid cartilage removed.

Transverse section of trachea.

Sagittal section of nose mouth, pharynx, and larynx.

The position and relation of the esophagus in the cervical region and in the posterior mediastinum. Seen from behind.

Thyroid

Respiratory system

Microscopic cross section of human trachea.




 •  • [ e]
Anatomy: respiratory system
Nose • Nasal cavity • Pharynx • Larynx • Trachea • Lungs • Bronchi • Alveoli • Conducting zone • Respiratory zone
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Anatomy of torso, respiratory system: Lungs and related structures
lungs
conducting zone
respiratory zone
pleurae
trachea, or windpipe, is a tube that has an inner diameter of about 20-25 mm and a length of about 10-16cm. It extends from the larynx to the primary (main) bronchi in mammals, and from the pharynx to the syrinx in birds, allowing the passage of air to the lungs.
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Arteries are muscular blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.[1] All arteries, with the exception of the pulmonary and umbilical arteries, carry oxygenated blood.

The circulatory system is extremely important for sustaining life.
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The tracheal branches of inferior thyroid artery are distributed upon the trachea, and anastomose below with the bronchial arteries.

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy.
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Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. Created and updated by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), it is used by the MEDLINE/PubMed
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The larynx (plural larynges), colloquially known as the voicebox, is an organ in the neck of mammals involved in protection of the trachea and sound production.
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A bronchus (plural bronchi, adjective bronchial) is a caliber of airway in the respiratory tract that conducts air into the lungs. No gas exchange takes place in this part of the lungs.
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Mammalia
Linnaeus, 1758

Subclasses & Infraclasses
  • Subclass †Allotheria*
  • Subclass Prototheria
  • Subclass Theria

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The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the neck and throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and cranial, or superior, to the esophagus, larynx, and trachea.
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    Syrinx (Greek for pan pipes) is the name for the vocal organ of birds. Located at the base of a bird's trachea, it produces sounds without the vocal cords that mammals are equipped with.
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    Aves
    Linnaeus, 1758

    Orders

    About two dozen - see section below

    Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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    Air or Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth.

    Air may also refer to:
    • Air (1977 video game), an air combat based mainframe computer game
    • Air (band), a French electronic music duo

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    lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity.[1]]]

    The lung is the essential respiration organ in air-breathing vertebrates, the most primitive being the lungfish.
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    pseudostratified epithelium is a type of epithelium that, though comprising only a single layer of cells, has its cell nuclei positioned in a manner suggestive of stratified epithelia.
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    Goblet cells are glandular simple columnar epithelial cells whose sole function is to secrete mucus.

    The majority of the cell's cytoplasm is occupied by mucinogen granules, except at the bottom.
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    The larynx (plural larynges), colloquially known as the voicebox, is an organ in the neck of mammals involved in protection of the trachea and sound production.
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    The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the neck and throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and cranial, or superior, to the esophagus, larynx, and trachea.
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    In anatomy, the stomach is a bean-shaped hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication. The word stomach is derived from the Latin stomachus, which derives from the Greek word
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    The cartilages of the trachea (or tracheal rings) vary from sixteen to twenty in number: each forms an imperfect ring, which occupies the anterior two-thirds or so of the circumference of the trachea, being deficient behind, where the tube is completed by fibrous tissue and
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    Smooth muscle is a type of non-striated muscle, found within the "walls" of hollow organs and elsewhere like the bladder and abdominal cavity, the uterus, male and female reproductive tracts, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the vasculature, the skin and the
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    The esophagus (also spelled oesophagus/œsophagus, Greek οἰσοφάγος), or gullet
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    The esophagus (also spelled oesophagus/œsophagus, Greek οἰσοφάγος), or gullet
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    The epiglottis is a lid-like flap of elastic cartilage tissue covered with a mucus membrane, attached to the root of the tongue. It projects obliquely upwards behind the tongue and the hyoid bone.
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    This article has been tagged since March 2007.
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    Ventilation is movement of air into and outside the body, and can be used in the following contexts:
    • ventilation (architecture)
    • ventilation (firefighting)
    • ventilation (physiology)
    • ventilation (tunnel)
    • ventilation (mining)

    See also


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    A tracheotomy or tracheostomy is a surgical procedure performed by paramedics, emergency physicians and surgeons in order to secure an airway. The procedure is performed on the neck to open a direct airway through an incision in the trachea (the windpipe).
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    Lumen can mean:
    • Lumen (unit), the SI unit of luminous flux
    • Lumen (anatomy), the cavity or channel within a tubular structure
    • Thylakoid lumen, the inner membrane space of the chloroplast

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    The larynx (plural larynges), colloquially known as the voicebox, is an organ in the neck of mammals involved in protection of the trachea and sound production.
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    The vocal folds, also known popularly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the larynx. They vibrate, modulating the flow of air being expelled from the lungs during phonation.
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    Human anatomy is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the adult human body.[1] It is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy.[1]
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