Carina of trachea

Carina of trachea
Cartilages of larynx, trachea and bronchi. (Carina is at the point of bifurcation.)
File:Gray963.png Transverse section of the trachea, just above its bifurcation, with a bird’s-eye view of the interior. (Carina not labeled; the ridge that separates the left and right bronchus.)
Details
Latin	Carina tracheae, bifurcatio tracheae
System	Respiratory system
Identifiers
Dorlands /Elsevier	c_11/12215629
TA
TH	{{#property:P1694}}
TE	{{#property:P1693}}
FMA	{{#property:P1402}}
Anatomical terminology [[[d:|edit on Wikidata]]]

In anatomy, the carina is a cartilaginous ridge within the trachea that runs antero-posteriorly 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 5th thoracic vertebra, which is in line with the sternal angle, but may raise or descend up to two vertebrae higher or lower with breathing). This ridge lies to the left of the midline. Foreign bodies that fall down the trachea are more likely to enter the right bronchus.

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 60% of the time.

External links

• Atlas image: lung_carina at the University of Michigan Health System - "Cast of trachea and bronchi, anterior view" (#2)
• "Trachea and carina — tomogram, coronal plane" at SUNY Downstate Medical Center
• Carina tracheae entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

 This article incorporates public domain material from the U.S. National Cancer Institute document "Dictionary of Cancer Terms".