Where it is
From the larynx, beneath the cervical spine, to the carina, in the middle of the thorax.
- Layer
- Organs
- System
- Respiratory system
- Region
- Neck and thorax
What it is and what it does
The trachea is the tube with cartilage rings that carries air from the larynx into the thorax. On the lateral radiograph it shows as a radiolucent tube that ends at the carina, the bifurcation into the two main bronchi, in the center of the thorax; the middle of the base of the heart is at the same level. In the thorax it lies slightly to the right of the midline.
In the cranial mediastinum, the trachea lies alongside the esophagus, the thymus (in young animals) and the cranial vena cava (IMAIOS).
Worth remembering
The middle of the base of the heart lies at the same level as the point where the trachea splits.
Names
- Latin term: trachea.
- In Romanian: Traheea (Romanian page).