Tonsils

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
  • glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
  • lesser palatine nerves

Histology

Consists of:

• non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium
• incompletely encapsulated
• long-branched tonsillar crypts: e.g. intratonsillar cleft

Related pathology

• tonsillitis
• tonsillar abscess
• tonsilloliths
• tonsillar carcinoma

Siehe auch:

• Tonsilla pharyngealis
• Tonsillenkarzinom
• Tonsillolith
• Tonsillitis