Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (697 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A funnel-shaped fibromuscular tube that conducts food to the esophagus, and air to the larynx and lungs. It is located posterior to the nasal cavity; oral cavity; and larynx, and extends from the skull base to the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage anteriorly and to the inferior border of the C6 vertebra posteriorly. It is divided into the nasopharynx; oropharynx; and hypopharynx (laryngopharynx).
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Pharynxs; Throat; Throats.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Gastrointestinal Tract; Respiratory System; Stomatognathic System
- Narrower topics
- Hypopharynx; Nasopharynx; Oropharynx; Pharyngeal Muscles
- See also
- Pharyngectomy; Pharyngostomy
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 53,829 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Pharynx” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 7,987 of them (14.8%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 24,753 records.
Reviews account for 3,096 records (5.8%) and meta-analyses for 249. Randomized controlled trials number 1,304 (2.4%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 24,753 |
| 2000-2009 | 9,180 |
| 2010-2019 | 11,909 |
| 2020 onward | 7,987 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 3,096 | 5.8% |
| Meta-analyses | 249 | 0.5% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 1,304 | 2.4% |
Method: PubMed query "Pharynx"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parallel comparison of T cell and B cell subpopulations of adenoid hypertrophy and tonsil hypertrophy of children | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 11 | cc by PMID 40229254 · DOI · PMC11997228 |
| The metabolic, microbial and immunological demands of pneumococcal colonisation | 2025 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 10 | cc by PMID 41231805 · DOI · PMC12614598 |
| Treating postextubation dysphagia after stroke with pharyngeal electrical stimulation -insights from a randomized controlled pilot trial | 2025 | Randomized controlled trial Design not recorded in structured metadata | 9 | cc by PMID 40383663 · DOI · PMC12418440 |
| A tonsil organoid model reveals Epstein-Barr virus-infected germinal center B cell states during primary infection | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42594281 · DOI · PMC13486580 |
Parallel comparison of T cell and B cell subpopulations of adenoid hypertrophy and tonsil hypertrophy of children [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The adenoids and tonsils are important immune organs of the nasopharynx that often become hypertrophic in childhood because of recurrent pathogen infection.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings will help our understanding of the immune response to nasopharyngeal infection.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (165 words)
The adenoids and tonsils are important immune organs of the nasopharynx that often become hypertrophic in childhood because of recurrent pathogen infection. However, the differences in the immune microenvironment of adenoid hypertrophy (AH) and tonsil hypertrophy (TH) are unclear. Here, we show the epidemiological characteristics and peripheral blood cell indices of 1209 pediatric patients (1-15 years old) diagnosed with AH, and find that AH is often accompanied by TH and characterized by specific changes in immune cell types. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis show that 12 paired AH and TH samples contain large numbers of B, T cells and some exhausted effector memory CD4+ T cells. Compared with matched TH, AH have more naïve B cells and regulatory CD4+ T cells and less plasma B cells. Weaker antigen presentation and more significant immunosuppression are also observed in AH. In contrast, the number and cytotoxicity of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells decrease with AH grade. These findings will help our understanding of the immune response to nasopharyngeal infection.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40229254 · DOI · PMC11997228
The metabolic, microbial and immunological demands of pneumococcal colonisation [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) causes a range of life-threatening diseases including pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis.
- Closing excerpt
- Here, we outline the metabolic, microbial, and immunological challenges of colonisation, and the often-competing demands of transmission, which together have shaped the pneumococcus into one of the most formidable human pathogens.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (130 words)
Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) causes a range of life-threatening diseases including pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. Despite widespread vaccine deployment, pneumococcal disease remains a leading cause of global mortality. The human nasopharynx is its principal ecological niche, and all pneumococcal disease originates from this reservoir of organisms. Acute infections are, however, an evolutionary dead-end for the pneumococcus. What sustains the pneumococcus within human populations are cycles of colonisation and transmission. To persist within the nasopharynx, it must overcome the physical and immunological barriers established by the host while acquiring sufficient nutrients to proliferate in the face of competing airway microbes. Here, we outline the metabolic, microbial, and immunological challenges of colonisation, and the often-competing demands of transmission, which together have shaped the pneumococcus into one of the most formidable human pathogens.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41231805 · DOI · PMC12614598
Treating postextubation dysphagia after stroke with pharyngeal electrical stimulation -insights from a randomized controlled pilot trial [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Postextubation dysphagia is a major risk factor for extubation failure in acute stroke.
- Closing excerpt
- PES enhanced recovery of postextubation dysphagia, improved airway safety and shortened length of ICU and hospital stay in acute stroke.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (254 words)
Postextubation dysphagia is a major risk factor for extubation failure in acute stroke. Pharyngeal electrical stimulation (PES) is a novel neurostimulation technique for neurogenic dysphagia rehabilitation. We conducted a randomized controlled pilot trial evaluating PES early after extubation in acute stroke (N = 60) focusing on dysphagia recovery trajectories and related outcomes until discharge. Patients with severe postextubation dysphagia, defined as Fiberoptic Endoscopic Dysphagia Severity Scale (FEDSS) score >4, received daily PES (real or sham, 10 min/day) for 3 consecutive days. By day 3, significantly fewer patients in the PES group exhibited persistent absence of spontaneous swallows (8 vs. 41 %) or pharyngeal sensory loss (4 vs. 55 %) compared to the sham group, indicating enhanced airway safety. Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) score at day 3 was significantly higher in the PES group (4.1 vs 2.1 pts). FEDSS at days 5-7 and 8-10 showed a sustained treatment effect over time (2.4 vs. 3.7 pts. and 2.2 vs. 3.4 pts), resulting in better FOIS at discharge (4.7 vs. 3.5 pts.). PES shortened LOS in the intensive care unit (ICU) (3.1 vs. 8.5 days, p = 0.008) and total hospital stay (13.8 vs. 21.9 days, p = 0.004) from study inclusion. Tracheotomy rates were 13 vs. 33 % (p < 0.067). The proportion of patients still cannulated at discharge (7 vs. 10 %) and the modified Rankin Scale at discharge (3.9 vs. 4.0) were comparable. PES enhanced recovery of postextubation dysphagia, improved airway safety and shortened length of ICU and hospital stay in acute stroke.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40383663 · DOI · PMC12418440
A tonsil organoid model reveals Epstein-Barr virus-infected germinal center B cell states during primary infection [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) colonizes secondary lymphoid tissues to establish persistent infection and is strongly associated with malignancy and autoimmunity.
- Closing excerpt
- Our findings demonstrate human tonsil organoids as a physiologically relevant model to investigate key aspects of EBV immunity and pathogenesis.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (148 words)
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) colonizes secondary lymphoid tissues to establish persistent infection and is strongly associated with malignancy and autoimmunity. Our understanding of EBV infection biology is hindered by a lack of models that capture infected B cell activity in the lymphoid tissue microenvironment. We therefore developed an EBV human tonsil organoid model to evaluate key B cell states and antiviral responses, including after primary infection. EBV promoted B cell differentiation into germinal center-like phenotypes and transcriptomic analyses highlighted numerous B cell transcriptional programs unique to EBV-infected cells. B cell receptor repertoire analysis revealed that most EBV+ B cells underwent class switching but only rarely participated in somatic hypermutation. CD4 T cells, highly activated by organoid infection, limited EBV+ B cell outgrowth in both primary and secondary EBV infection. Our findings demonstrate human tonsil organoids as a physiologically relevant model to investigate key aspects of EBV immunity and pathogenesis.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42594281 · DOI · PMC13486580
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Phenotypic approaches to obstructive sleep apnoea - New pathways for targeted therapy [5]
- Research article Performance of Saliva, Oropharyngeal Swabs, and Nasal Swabs for SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Detection: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis [6]
- Research article The central role of the nasal microenvironment in the transmission, modulation, and clinical progression of SARS-CoV-2 infection [7]
- Research article Selective digestive or oropharyngeal decontamination and topical oropharyngeal chlorhexidine for prevention of death in general intensive care: systematic review and network meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Craniofacial and upper airway morphology in pediatric sleep-disordered breathing: Systematic review and meta-analysis [9]
- Research article Prevalence of adenoid hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis [10]
References
- Yu Z, Xu Z, Fu T, Liu S, Cui J, Zhang B, et al.. Parallel comparison of T cell and B cell subpopulations of adenoid hypertrophy and tonsil hypertrophy of children. . 2025. PMID 40229254 · DOI · PMC11997228
- Neill DR, Clarke TB. The metabolic, microbial and immunological demands of pneumococcal colonisation. . 2025. PMID 41231805 · DOI · PMC12614598
- Suntrup-Krueger S, Labeit B, von Itter J, Jung A, Claus I, Ahring S, et al.. Treating postextubation dysphagia after stroke with pharyngeal electrical stimulation -insights from a randomized controlled pilot trial. . 2025. PMID 40383663 · DOI · PMC12418440
- Mitul MT, Sun Y, Yates TB, Sureshchandra S, Kastenschmidt JM, Sorn AM, et al.. A tonsil organoid model reveals Epstein-Barr virus-infected germinal center B cell states during primary infection. . 2026. PMID 42594281 · DOI · PMC13486580
- Eckert DJ. Phenotypic approaches to obstructive sleep apnoea - New pathways for targeted therapy. Sleep Med Rev. 2018. PMID 28110857 · DOI
- Lee RA, Herigon JC, Benedetti A, Pollock NR, Denkinger CM. Performance of Saliva, Oropharyngeal Swabs, and Nasal Swabs for SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Detection: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Clin Microbiol. 2021. PMID 33504593 · DOI · PMC8091856
- Gallo O, Locatello LG, Mazzoni A, Novelli L, Annunziato F. The central role of the nasal microenvironment in the transmission, modulation, and clinical progression of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mucosal Immunol. 2021. PMID 33244161 · DOI · PMC7690066
- Price R, MacLennan G, Glen J, SuDDICU Collaboration. Selective digestive or oropharyngeal decontamination and topical oropharyngeal chlorhexidine for prevention of death in general intensive care: systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ. 2014. PMID 24687313 · DOI · PMC3970764
- Katyal V, Pamula Y, Martin AJ, Daynes CN, Kennedy JD, Sampson WJ. Craniofacial and upper airway morphology in pediatric sleep-disordered breathing: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2013. PMID 23273357 · DOI
- Pereira L, Monyror J, Almeida FT, Almeida FR, Guerra E, Flores-Mir C, et al.. Prevalence of adenoid hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2018. PMID 29153763 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.