What are palatine tonsils?
The palatal tonsil (lat. : Tonsilla palatina) is the accumulation of lymphatic tissue between the palatal arches in a capsule. One of these almonds is located on each side of the transition from the oral cavity to the throat. Like all almonds, they belong to the secondary lymphatic organs and are part of the Waldeyer’s pharyngeal ring. As lymphatic organs they serve to defend and fight pathogens.
Anatomy
The palatine almond is similar in structure to the other almonds of the Waldeyer’s pharynx ring. It belongs to the so-called MALT (= mucosa associated lymphatic tissue). The lymphatic tissue of the palatal tonsil contains many lymph follicles.
These lymph follicles consist of large accumulations of immune cells (e.g. B lymphocytes). The palatine tonsil is divided into lobules by indentations (so-called septa). It is surrounded by a connective tissue capsule and covered by mucosa (multi-layered unkeratinized squamous epithelium).
Numerous depressions (so-called crypts) are found in the mucosa. These serve to increase the surface area of the palatal tonsil. So-called detritus can collect in the crypts.
This consists of food remains, dead cells and cells of the immune defense. If the detritus is excreted from the crypts, it can become visible as a whitish elevation on the almond (so-called almond plugs/almond stones). Near the palatal tonsils there are small salivary glands which can flush through the tonsils and thus clean them.
The palatine tonsils are usually 1 – 2 cm in size and almond shaped. The arterial supply of the palatal tonsils is provided by the A. palatina ascendens (branch of the A. fascialis), the A. palatina descendes (branch of the A. maxillaris) and from smaller branches of the A. lingualis. The venous blood flows via the pharyngeal plexus (Plexus venosus pharyngeus) into the internal jugular vein.
The lymph flows into the deep cervical lymph nodes (Nodi lymphatici profundi) and into the lymph nodes under the lower jaw (Nodi lymphatici submandibularis). The palatal tonsils are nerved by the 9th cranial nerve (N. glossopharyngeus) and the 10th cranial nerve (N. vagus). Get general information about the topic almonds
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