Body system · 125 pieces

Respiratory

Nose, larynx, trachea, bronchial tree and lungs.

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Overview

Air enters through the nose, where cartilages support the nostrils and conchae warm and moisten it, passes the larynx, which guards the airway and produces the voice, and descends the trachea. The trachea divides into the main bronchi, which branch again and again into the segmental bronchial trees modelled here, one for each bronchopulmonary segment. Gas exchange takes place in the alveoli at the end of this tree; the lung tissue itself is not a separate piece in this dataset, so the bronchial trees stand in for the lungs.

Functions

  • Bring oxygen into the blood and remove carbon dioxide
  • Filter, warm and humidify inhaled air
  • Produce the voice (larynx)
  • Help regulate blood acidity

Clinical notes

  • Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease narrow the airways
  • Pneumonia infects the alveoli
  • Lung cancer most often arises in the bronchi

Organs & groups in this system

Nose

Nasal bones and cartilages shape the nose; the conchae inside warm and filter the air.

10 structures

Larynx

The voice box: a cartilage frame with the vocal ligaments, guarding the airway and producing sound.

40 structures

Trachea & bronchial tree

The windpipe and the branching airways that carry air into every segment of the lungs.

25 structures

Lungs

Two spongy organs of gas exchange. This dataset models the lungs through their segmental bronchial trees and pulmonary vessels rather than as solid lobes.

81 structures · full anatomy article

All structures 46

125 modelled pieces. Click a structure to open it in the atlas.