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Dislodgement of a foreign body along the respiratory tract

occurs anatomically at
Right main bronchus or lower part of trachea
Left upper anterior bronchus
Nasal turbinates or Laryngopharynx
Bronchus intermedius
E
Lingular segmental bronchus

User HorseT
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1 Answer

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Answer:

Right main bronchus or lower part of trachea

Step-by-step explanation:

To correctly answer this question, one has to know correctly the respiratory tract anatomy.

The air that enters from the atmosphere to our lungs normally takes the following path:

- Nasal or oral cavity. If it enters from the nose, it will pass through the nasal turbinates towards the rhinopharynx, where it will communicate within the oropharynx (in contact with the oral cavity).

- The oropharynx continues inferiorly to the laryngopharynx (remember: the pharynx is composed by three portions: rhino-, oro-, and laryngopharynx, from superior to inferior).

- The laryngopharynx then divides anteriorly towards the larynx and posterior lt towards the esophagus. The larynx is the location where our vocal chords can be found.

- Inferior to the larynx is the trachea, which divides to a right and left main bronchus at the level of the 4th thoracic vertebrae.

Note: the right main bronchus has anatomic characteristics that cause foreign bodies to lodge more frequently here than on the left side. It presents a larger diameter (wider), it is shorter and more vertical than the left main bronchus.

  • Left upper anterior bronchus and lingual segmental bronchus are less likely to be the correct answer, since these are branches of the lest main bronchus.
  • Bronchus intermedius is a branch of the right main bronchus, this could be a potential correct answer, but since an abrupt change in diameter occurs with the origin of the main bronchus, foreign bodies tend to dislodge at that main bifurcation.
  • Nasal turbinates and laryngopharynx are in different anatomical locations. Also, since the diameter of the orifice is greater than that of the right main bronchus, normally foreign bodies don’t dislodge here.

User Noriaki
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