- Carina of trachea
Infobox Anatomy
Name = PAGENAME
Latin = carina tracheae
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Caption = Conducting passages
Caption2 = Transverse section of the trachea, just above its bifurcation, with a bird’s-eye view of the interior. (Carina visible but not labeled.)
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DorlandsPre = c_11
DorlandsSuf = 12215629
In anatomy, the carina is a cartilaginous ridge within the trachea that runs anteroposteriorly between the two primarybronchi at the site of the tracheal bifurcation at the lower end of the trachea (usually at the level of the 4th to 5ththoracic 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 thelymph node s 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.cite journal |author=Chu CP, Chen PP |title=Tracheobronchial injury secondary to blunt chest trauma: Diagnosis and management |journal=Anaesth Intensive Care |volume=30 |issue=2 |pages=145–52 |year=2002 |month=April |pmid=12002920 |doi= |url=]References
External links
* - "Cast of trachea and bronchi, anterior view" (#2)
* [http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/rad-atlas/Thorax/3tomogrm.html "Trachea and carina — tomogram, coronal plane" at SUNY Downstate Medical Center]
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