Palatine tonsil
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Kang O, Hacking C, MacManus D, et al. Palatine tonsil. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 15 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-49879
rID:
49879
Article created:
8 Dec 2016,
Owen Kang
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Owen Kang had no recorded disclosures.
View Owen Kang's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had the following disclosures:
- Philips Australia, Paid speaker at Philips Spectral CT events (ongoing)
These were assessed during peer review and were determined to not be relevant to the changes that were made.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosures
Revisions:
14 times, by
9 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Synonyms:
- Palatine tonsil
- Tonsils
- Faucial tonsil
- Faucial tonsils
The palatine tonsils, also known as the faucial tonsils or simply the tonsils, are a bilateral collection of lymphoid tissue in the oropharyngeal mucosa. They form part of Waldeyer's ring.
On this page:
Gross anatomy
The palatine tonsils are located in the oropharyngeal isthmus (isthmus of fauces). Each 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-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium
- incompletely encapsulated
- long-branched tonsillar crypts: e.g. intratonsillar cleft
Related pathology
References
- 1. Sinnatamby CS. Last's Anatomy, Regional and Applied. Churchill Livingstone. (2011) ISBN:0702033952. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
Incoming Links
Articles:
- Ascending palatine artery
- Tonsillolith
- Lesser palatine artery
- Organomegaly
- Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas
- Greater palatine artery
- Descending palatine artery
- Glossopharyngeal nerve
- Lesser palatine nerves
- Oropharynx
- Positron emission tomography
- Branchial apparatus
- Pharyngeal mucosal space
- Oral cavity
- Oropharyngeal isthmus
- Waldeyer's ring
- Peritonsillar space
Cases:
- Retropharyngeal lymph nodes
- Croup
- Peritonsillar abscess
- Adenoidal and palatine tonsil enlargement
- Normal palatine tonsils
- Pharyngeal diphtheria
- Pleomorphic adenoma
- Adenotonsillar enlargement
- Sprengel shoulder with omovertebra
- Adenoidal hypertrophy and palatine tonsil enlargement
- Adenoidal and tonsillar hypertrophy
- Adenoidal and palatine tonsil enlargement
- Adenoidal and palatine tonsillar hypertrophy
- Adenoid and palatine tonsil (lateral neck radiograph)
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cranial vault
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sutures
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facial muscles
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common carotid artery
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arterial supply
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