Pyriform sinus
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Francis Deng had no recorded disclosures.
View Francis Deng's current disclosuresAt 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- Pyriform recess
- Pyriform fossa
- Piriform recess
- Piriform fossa
- Pyriform sinus
The pyriform sinus (also spelled piriform sinus and also known as the pyriform recess, pyriform fossa, and smuggler's fossa) is the pear-shaped subsite of the hypopharynx located posterolaterally to either side of the laryngeal opening.
On this page:
Gross anatomy
Relations and/or boundaries
The structure is a depression bounded
- medially by the aryepiglottic fold and arytenoid and cricoid cartilages
- laterally by the thyroid cartilage and thyrohyoid membrane
- superiorly by the level of the hyoid bone
- inferiorly by the level of the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage
Beneath the mucous membrane of the anterior wall runs the internal laryngeal nerve, a branch of the superior laryngeal nerve.
History and etymology
The term is derived from the Latin term 'pirum' meaning a 'pear' and '-form', meaning having the form of a pear.
Related pathology
References
- 1. Schugt HP. The piriform sinus: anatomic and clinical observations, with a review of the literature. (1940) Archives of Otolaryngology. 31 (4): 626. doi:10.1001/archotol.1940.00660010631005 - Pubmed
Incoming Links
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