A collection of lymphoid tissue located at the sides of the throat behind the nose and on the back of the tongue.
An area of lymphoid tissue at the back of the throat in which lymph circulates and protects the body against germs entering through the mouth.
Two small organs at the back of the throat that act as filters in the lymphatic system, which is the network through which the body’s immune system operates. As an infant grows, so do the tonsils, reaching maximum size by about age seven, then gradually shrinking. Once removed routinely in many children, tonsils today are generally left in place unless the child has severe, recurring attacks of tonsilitis (inflammation of the tonsils due to infection), a tonsil is abscessed (quinsy), or it contains abnormal growths, such as cancer. The operation itself (tonsillectomy) is simple, and recovery from it is brief; adenoids are often removed at the same time.
Lymphatic tissue located at the back of the throat that detect and respond to infection of the throat.
Small oval masses of lymphatic tissue in the mouth and throat (pharynx). Technically, there are three pairs of tonsils; they are located at the base of the tongue (lingual tonsils), in the throat just behind the tongue (palatine tonsils), and close to the opening of the nasal cavity into the pharynx (pharyngeal tonsils; also known as adenoids). Tonsils are large in children, shrinking slowly after age 3. The pharyngeal tonsils disappear completely by adulthood, and the palatine tonsils decrease to the size of almonds. The tonsils filter and destroy infectious material entering the body through the mouth and nose.
Small, rounded masses of lymph tissues found in the throat.
The commonly used term for the palatine tonsils, which are lymphoid masses situated at the back of the mouth on both sides of the tongue.