| Carina of trachea | |
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| Conducting passages | |
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| Transverse section of the trachea, just above its bifurcation, with a bird’s-eye view of the interior. (Carina visible but not labeled.) | |
| Latin | carina tracheae |
In anatomy, the carina is a cartilaginous ridge within the trachea that runs anteroposteriorly between the two primary bronchi at the site of the tracheal bifurcation at the lower end of the trachea (usually at the level of the 4th to 5th thoracic vertebrae).
The mucous membrane of the carina is the most sensitive area of the trachea and larynx for triggering a cough reflex. Widening and distortion of the carina is a serious sign because it usually indicates carcinoma of the lymph nodes around the region where the trachea divides.
Tracheobronchial injury, an injury to the airways, occurs within 2.5 cm of the carina 40–80% of the time.[1]
References
- ^ Chu CP, Chen PP (April 2002). "Tracheobronchial injury secondary to blunt chest trauma: Diagnosis and management". Anaesth Intensive Care 30 (2): 145–52. PMID 12002920.
External links
- Atlas of anatomy at UMich lung_carina - "Cast of trachea and bronchi, anterior view" (#2)
- "Trachea and carina — tomogram, coronal plane" at SUNY Downstate Medical Center
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