Retropharyngeal space
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| Retropharyngeal space | |
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| Section of the neck at about the level of the sixth cervical vertebra. Showing the arrangement of the fascia coli. | |
| Latin | spatium retropharyngeum |
| Gray's | subject #111 390 |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | s_16/12746627 |
The buccopharyngeal fascia is attached to the prevertebral layer by loose connective tissue only, and thus an easily distended space, the retropharyngeal space, is found between them.
Because serious infections of teeth can spread down this space into the thorax, it is also known as the danger space.
This space is limited above by the base of the skull, while below it extends behind the esophagus into the posterior mediastinal cavity of the thorax.
3-D Landmarks in the Retropharyngeal space:
Superior: Base of the skull
Inferior: Superior mediastimum
Right: Right Carotid Sheath
Left: Left Carotid Sheath
Anterior: Anterior Pharynx
Posterior: Pre-vertebral Fascia
[edit] External links
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
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