The laryngopharynx (hypopharynx) is the lowest part of the pharynx, lying behind the larynx from the tip of the epiglottis to the lower border of the cricoid cartilage at about C6. There it narrows and continues as the oesophagus. Food passes around the laryngeal inlet through the piriform fossae on each side.
| Location | Behind the larynx, from the tip of the epiglottis to the lower border of the cricoid cartilage (C3 to C6) |
|---|---|
| Parts |
|
| Nerve Supply | Internal laryngeal nerve, CN X (sensory); Recurrent laryngeal nerve; Pharyngeal plexus (motor) |
| Blood Supply | Superior laryngeal artery (from the superior thyroid artery); Inferior thyroid artery; Ascending pharyngeal artery |
| Venous drainage |
|
| Lymphatic drainage |
|
Guides swallowed food and fluid around the laryngeal inlet into the oesophagus while air passes forward into the larynx.
Cancers here often grow silently in the piriform fossae and present late with a neck lump, painful swallowing or referred ear pain, giving them a poorer prognosis than other head and neck sites. A pharyngeal pouch can form through a weak area (Killian dehiscence) above the cricopharyngeus at the back of the lower pharynx. Fish bones and other foreign bodies commonly lodge in this region.
Squamous cell carcinoma, most often in the piriform fossa, that presents late with dysphagia, referred ear pain and neck nodes.
Pulsion diverticulum (Zenker diverticulum) through the Killian dehiscence that causes regurgitation of undigested food, halitosis and aspiration.
Thin membrane in the postcricoid region associated with iron deficiency in Plummer-Vinson syndrome, causing dysphagia and carrying a cancer risk.
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