Lingual tonsils
Tongue
Latin	tonsilla lingualis
Gray's	subject #243 1138

The lingual tonsils are rounded masses of lymphatic tissue that cover the posterior region of the tongue.

They are on the dorsal surface at the base of the tongue. Their Lymphatic tissue are dense and nodular, their surface is covered with stratified squamous epithelium which invaginates as a single crypt into each lingual tonsil. They are partially surrounded by connective tissue placing them in the group of Partially-Encapsulated Lymphatic Organs,Tonsils, the only one of its kind. They have associated mucous glands which are drained by ducts directly into the single tonsillar crypt.

[edit] Additional images

Lingual tonsils not labeled, but would be at very back of tongue.

Lymphatics of the tongue.

[edit] External links

• Lingual+tonsil at eMedicine Dictionary
• Pictures at usc.edu
• Anatomy Atlases - Microscopic Anatomy, plate 09.163
• Histology at BU 09802loa
• MedEd at Loyola histo/HistoImages/hl6-27.jpg (labeled as 'lymphoid tissue')]
• Diagram at healthopedia.com
• Diagram at enotes.com

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.

v • d • e Head and neck anatomy, digestive system: Mouth anatomy (TA A05.1-2, GA 11.1110-2, 1125-1141) Mouth Vestibule of mouth Lip (Upper, Lower, Vermillion border) · Philtrum Oral cavity proper Palate/ roof of mouth Hard palate · Soft palate · Palatine raphe · Incisive papilla Tongue dorsum (Taste bud, Median sulcus, Terminal sulcus, Foramen cecum, Lingual tonsils) · underside (Frenulum, Fimbriated fold, Sublingual caruncle) · Anterior · Posterior · Glossoepiglottic folds Other Teeth · Gingiva (Interdental papilla, Gingival sulcus, Gingival margin) · Oral mucosa · Buccal fat pad Salivary glands Parotid gland/Parotid duct · Submandibular gland/Submandibular duct · Sublingual gland/Major sublingual duct Oro-pharynx arches/fauces (Palatoglossal, Palatopharyngeal) · Oropharyngeal isthmus/Isthmus of the fauces · Palatine tonsil · Uvula mouth navs: anat/dev, noncongen/congen face/congen GI/neoplasia, symptoms, proc

v • d • e Lymphatics of head and neck (TA A13.3.00, GA 8.692) Head Posterior Occipital · Mastoid/retroauricular Parotid: Superficial · Deep (Preauricular, Infra-auricular, Intraglandular) Anterior Facial (Buccinator, Nasolabial) · Mandibular Submandibular · Submental Neck/Cervical Superficial cervical: Superficial anterior cervical · Superficial lateral cervical Deep cervical: Deep anterior cervical (Pretracheal, Paratracheal, Prelaryngeal, Thyroid) · Deep lateral cervical (Superior deep cervical, Inferior deep cervical, Retropharyngeal, Jugulodigastric, Jugulo-omohyoid) Anterior cervical · Lateral cervical Supraclavicular (Virchow's) Jugular trunk Tonsils/Waldeyer's tonsillar ring Palatine · Lingual · Pharyngeal · Tubal

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