Respiratory Lab 1
In this lab you will learn about a number of respiratory system structures.
Begin by clicking on:
Locate the following structures:
Thyroid cartilage (commonly called the Adam's apple)
Cricothyroid Right and Left
Trachea
The thyroid and cricoid cartilages surround the area known as the larynx.
Dissect away the cricothyroid right and left. You should now be able to see the cricoid cartilages.
The larynx contains the vocal cords. When you swallow a cartilage flap called the epiglottis closes off the larynx so that food and liquid does not enter. Just inferior to the larynx is the trachea. The trachea also contains a number of hyaline cartilage rings that are open in the back to allow for flexibility when swallowing.
Dissect away the trachea to see the tracheal cartilages.
Rotate the image 180 degrees.
Locate the epiglottic cartilage. This is the cartilage flap that closes off the larynx.
Follow the trachea inferior and locate the left and right primary bronchus. These are the air passages to the lungs.
Rotate the image back to 0 degrees.
See if you can find the vocal cords by dissecting away the structures of the larynx. They are called the right and left vocal folds. You may want to magnify the image to see the structures better.
Locate the following:
Superior lobe of right lung
Middle lobe of right lung
Inferior lobe of right lung
Superior lobe of left lung
Inferior lobe of left lung
Notice that the right lung has 3 lobes and the left lung only 2. The right lung also has 2 grooves or fissures. The horizontal fissure separates the superior and middle lobes on the right. The oblique fissure separates the middle and inferior lobes on the right. The left lung only has one fissure. The oblique fissure separates the superior and inferior lobes on the left. Also notice the impression on the left lung for the heart. This is called the cardiac impression or cardiac notch.
Dissect off the superior, middle and inferior lobes of the right lung.
You should now see the bronchial passageways into the lungs.
Locate the following:
Right main bronchus
Right superior lobar bronchus
Middle lobar bronchus
Right inferior lobar bronchus
Notice how the main bronchus divides into lobar bronchi. The main bronchus is sometimes called a primary bronchus while the lobar bronchi are called secondary. As the secondary bronchi divide the smaller branches are called tertiary bronchi. These lead to the smallest structures of the lungs called the alveoli. They are not well seen here because they are so small.
Use your textbook to locate the remaining respiratory system structures.
This concludes the lab.