General Medical Information

Nasopharynx

Susan D. John
Michael D. Maves

The nasal part of the pharynx, the nasopharynx, is continuous anteriorly through the choana with the nasal cavities. The floor is the upper surface of the soft palate. The fornix or roof, the mucosa of which is attached close to the base of the skull, slopes downward and backward to become continuous with the posterior wall. The eustachian tubes are prominent on the lateral aspect of the nasal pharynx. There may be adenoid tissue in the superior recess of the nasopharynx.