In medicine, the aerodigestive tract is the functionally and anatomically connected section of the upper respiratory and digestive tracts, in which air and food are transported via common entry routes and then directed into separate pathways (trachea or esophagus).
Aerodigestive tractus
DefinitionThis section has been translated automatically.
General informationThis section has been translated automatically.
The aerodigestive tract typically includes:
- Nasal cavity (cavitas nasi)
- Oral cavity (cavitas oris)
- Pharynx (pharynx/common intersection of air and food with:
- Nasopharynx
- oropharynx
- Hypopharynx
- Larynx (larynx)
- Trachea (windpipe)
- Oesophagus (gullet)
ClinicThis section has been translated automatically.
The term is used particularly frequently in:
Gastroenterology/pediatrics in connection with reflux diseases
Oncology (tumors of the aerodigestive tract. The majority are squamous cell carcinomas)
Typical localizations are:
- Oral cavity
- oropharynx
- hypopharynx
- larynx
- OesophagusDermatology / mucosal diseases
The term is important for dermatological diseases because large parts of the aerodigestive tract are lined with multilayered squamous epithelium. The following diseases therefore occur here together:
- Lichen planus (oral / esophageal)
- Pemphigus vulgaris
- Lichen sclerosus
- Squamous cell carcinomas
- HPV-associated dysplasia
LiteratureThis section has been translated automatically.
- Bell LM (2018) Foreword: Aerodigestive Disorders-Part I. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care 48:65.
- Maqbool A et al. (2018) Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Aerodigestive Disorders. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care 48:85-98.