Palatine tonsil
Updates to Article Attributes
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The palatine tonsils, (also known as the faucial tonsils or simply "the tonsils") are a bilateral collection of lymphoid tissue in the pharyngeal mucosa. They form part of Waldeyer's ring.
Gross anatomy
It is often described to have two borders, two poles and two surfaces:
- anterior and posterior borders (described in relations below)
- upper and lower poles: extending to the soft palate and dorsum of the tongue respectively
- medial and lateral surfaces (described in relations below)
Relations
- anteriorly: palatoglossal arch
- posteriorly: palatopharyngeal arch
- medially: covered by pharyngeal mucosa
- laterally: tonsillar capsule (thickened pharyngeal submucosa), superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle
Arterial supply
- arterial supply is primarily from the tonsillar branch of facial artery, with contributions from the ascending pharyngeal, lingual and ascending palatine arteries
Venous drainage
- venous drainage is via a venous plexus which drains into the pharyngeal plexus and external palatine vein
Lymphatic drainage
- lymph nodes: deep cervical group
- jugulodigastric nodes: inferior to the angle of the mandible
Innervation
- tonsillar branches
Histology
Consists of:
- non-keratinised stratified squamous epithelium
- incompletely encapsulated
- long-branched tonsillar crypts: e.g. intratonsillar cleft
Related pathology
-<li>tonsillar carcinoma</li>- +<li><a title="tonsillar carcinoma" href="/articles/tonsillar-carcinoma">tonsillar carcinoma</a></li>
Images Changes:
Image 2 X-ray (Lateral) ( update )
Caption
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Case 1: Adenoidaladenoidal and palatine tonsil enlargement
Image 3 X-ray (Lateral) ( update )
Caption
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Case 2: Adenoidaladenoidal and palatine tonsil enlargement
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