Child's Throat - 5 year old

This video presents the throat of a 5 year old child with bilateraly enlarged tonsils. Visualization of the epiglottis was performed (easily seen behind the hanging epiglottis). Abbreviations: E - epiglottis, U - uvula, T - tonsil, TG - tongue. It is worth to mention that there are a lot of differences between paediatric and adult larynx - it is placed higher and more anteriorly (at a vertebral level of C3-C4), and tubular in shape. Higher location gives some protection from external trauma or injury but it has a few disadvantages. The main reason of this anatomical mystery is the fact that child can breathe and sucks milk at the same time, but have difficulty to breathe through the mouth whenever both nostrils become blocked. In addition, they have shorter trachea and neck which pose some difficulty in airway management for the anaesthetist. Enlargement of the tonsils is common in this age group. Sometimes, the excision of the enlarged tonsils should be performed due to recurrent infections or obstructive apnoea syndrome (OSA).