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 (680 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
The bottom portion of the pharynx situated below the oropharynx and posterior to the larynx. The hypopharynx communicates with the larynx through the laryngeal inlet, and is also called 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: Hypopharynges; Hypopharynxes; Laryngopharynges; Laryngopharynxes; Laryngopharynx.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Pharynx
- Narrower topics
- Pyriform Sinus
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 2,750 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Hypopharynx” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 435 of them (15.8%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 1,036 records.
Reviews account for 189 records (6.9%) and meta-analyses for 6. Randomized controlled trials number 36 (1.3%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 1,036 |
| 2000-2009 | 483 |
| 2010-2019 | 796 |
| 2020 onward | 435 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 189 | 6.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 6 | 0.2% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 36 | 1.3% |
Method: PubMed query "Hypopharynx"[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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amplicon sequencing provides more accurate microbiome information in healthy children compared to culturing | 2019 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 97 | cc by PMID 31396571 · DOI · PMC6683184 |
| Proteomic analysis of honeybee worker (Apis mellifera) hypopharyngeal gland development | 2009 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 61 | cc by PMID 20043834 · DOI · PMC2810308 |
| CD271 defines a stem cell-like population in hypopharyngeal cancer | 2013 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 58 | cc by PMID 23626764 · DOI · PMC3633921 |
| Improved hypopharyngeal visibility and early cancer detection using the modified Killian method during esophagogastroduodenoscopy in patients at high risk of head and neck cancer | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 0 | cc by PMID 42230510 · DOI · PMC13319248 |
Amplicon sequencing provides more accurate microbiome information in healthy children compared to culturing [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) of 16S rRNA gene is now one of the most widely used application to investigate the microbiota at any given body site in research.
- Closing excerpt
- We discuss the pros and cons of both methods and provide perspective on how NGS can be implemented effectively in clinical settings.
- 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 (140 words)
Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) of 16S rRNA gene is now one of the most widely used application to investigate the microbiota at any given body site in research. Since NGS is more sensitive than traditional culture methods (TCMs), many studies have argued for them to replace TCMs. However, are we really ready for this transition? Here we compare the diagnostic efficiency of the two methods using a large number of samples (n = 1,748 fecal and n = 1,790 hypopharyngeal), among healthy children at different time points. Here we show that bacteria identified by NGS represented 75.70% of the unique bacterial species cultured in each sample, while TCM only identified 23.86% of the bacterial species found by amplicon sequencing. We discuss the pros and cons of both methods and provide perspective on how NGS can be implemented effectively in clinical settings.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31396571 · DOI · PMC6683184
Proteomic analysis of honeybee worker (Apis mellifera) hypopharyngeal gland development [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundHypopharyngeal glands (HG) of honeybee workers play an important role in honeybee nutrition and caste differentiation.
- Closing excerpt
- This provides us some target proteins when genetically manipulating honeybees.
- 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 (201 words)
BackgroundHypopharyngeal glands (HG) of honeybee workers play an important role in honeybee nutrition and caste differentiation. Previous research mainly focused on age-dependent morphological, physiological, biochemical and genomic characters of the HG. Here proteomics and biochemical network analysis were used to follow protein changes during the HG development.ResultsA total of 87, 76, 85, 74, 71, and 55 proteins were unambiguously identified on day 1, 3, 6, 12, 15 and 20, respectively. These proteins were major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs), metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins, cytoskeleton, development regulation, antioxidant, molecule transporter, regulation of transcription/translation, proteins with folding functions. The most interesting is that MRJP's that have been detected in the HG of the newly emerged worker bees. The MRJP's expression is at peak level from 6-12 days, was validated by western blot analysis of MRJP1, 2 and 3. Moreover, 35 key node proteins were found in the biochemical networks of the HG.ConclusionsHG secretes RJ at peak level within 6-12 days, but the worker bee can secrete royal jelly (RJ) since birth, which is a new finding. Several key node proteins play an important role in the biochemical networks of the developing HG. This provides us some target proteins when genetically manipulating honeybees.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 20043834 · DOI · PMC2810308
CD271 defines a stem cell-like population in hypopharyngeal cancer [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Cancer stem cells contribute to the malignant phenotypes of a variety of cancers, but markers to identify human hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC) stem cells remain poorly understood.
- Closing excerpt
- Taken together, our findings indicate that CD271 is a novel marker for HPC stem-like cells and for HPC prognosis.
- 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 (160 words)
Cancer stem cells contribute to the malignant phenotypes of a variety of cancers, but markers to identify human hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC) stem cells remain poorly understood. Here, we report that the CD271(+) population sorted from xenotransplanted HPCs possesses an enhanced tumor-initiating capability in immunodeficient mice. Tumors generated from the CD271(+) cells contained both CD271(+) and CD271(-) cells, indicating that the population could undergo differentiation. Immunohistological analyses of the tumors revealed that the CD271(+) cells localized to a perivascular niche near CD34(+) vasculature, to invasive fronts, and to the basal layer. In accordance with these characteristics, a stemness marker, Nanog, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are implicated in cancer invasion, were significantly up-regulated in the CD271(+) compared to the CD271 (-) cell population. Furthermore, using primary HPC specimens, we demonstrated that high CD271 expression was correlated with a poor prognosis for patients. Taken together, our findings indicate that CD271 is a novel marker for HPC stem-like cells and for HPC prognosis.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 23626764 · DOI · PMC3633921
Improved hypopharyngeal visibility and early cancer detection using the modified Killian method during esophagogastroduodenoscopy in patients at high risk of head and neck cancer [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundPatients with a history of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma or pharyngeal cancer are at high risk of laryngopharyngeal cancers, particularly in the hypopharynx.
- Closing excerpt
- 0]; p ConclusionsThe Modified Killian method, particularly its positional component alone, improves hypopharynx visualization and may contribute to early cancer detection without compromising observation of other pharyngeal areas.
- 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 (179 words)
BackgroundPatients with a history of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma or pharyngeal cancer are at high risk of laryngopharyngeal cancers, particularly in the hypopharynx. However, adequate hypopharyngeal visualization during esophagogastroduodenoscopy is challenging because of anatomical constraints. We evaluated the utility of the Modified Killian method for hypopharyngeal visualization during esophagogastroduodenoscopy in high-risk patients.MethodsThe Modified Killian method had previously been used at our institution for high-risk patients with esophageal and head and neck cancers. In this retrospective comparative study, data were collected from 45 high-risk patients who underwent pharyngeal examination using the Modified Killian method after the conventional method during a single esophagogastroduodenoscopy session. The primary endpoint was the hypopharyngeal visibility score (scale 1-5). Secondary endpoints included visibility of other pharyngeal areas, procedure time, lesion detection, and adverse events.ResultsThe Modified Killian method without the Valsalva maneuver yielded higher hypopharyngeal visibility scores than the conventional method (median [interquartile range, IQR]: 2.0 [2.0-4.0] vs. 1.0 [1.0-2.0]; p ConclusionsThe Modified Killian method, particularly its positional component alone, improves hypopharynx visualization and may contribute to early cancer detection without compromising observation of other pharyngeal areas.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42230510 · DOI · PMC13319248
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 Hypopharyngeal surgery in obstructive sleep apnea: an evidence-based medicine review [5]
- Research article Swallowing physiology and pathophysiology [6]
- Research article A comprehensive approach to the management of acute endoscopic perforations (with videos) [7]
- Research article Reconstructive options after total laryngectomy with subtotal or circumferential hypopharyngectomy and cervical esophagectomy [8]
- Research article Reconstruction of the hypopharynx with the free jejunum transfer [9]
- Research article Hypopharyngeal cancer [10]
References
- Gupta S, Mortensen MS, Schjørring S, Trivedi U, Vestergaard G, Stokholm J, et al.. Amplicon sequencing provides more accurate microbiome information in healthy children compared to culturing. . 2019. PMID 31396571 · DOI · PMC6683184
- Feng M, Fang Y, Li J. Proteomic analysis of honeybee worker (Apis mellifera) hypopharyngeal gland development. . 2009. PMID 20043834 · DOI · PMC2810308
- Imai T, Tamai K, Oizumi S, Oyama K, Yamaguchi K, Sato I, et al.. CD271 defines a stem cell-like population in hypopharyngeal cancer. . 2013. PMID 23626764 · DOI · PMC3633921
- Yoshida Y, Ikenoyama Y, Ogura T, Suzuki H, Hattori A, Umeda Y, et al.. Improved hypopharyngeal visibility and early cancer detection using the modified Killian method during esophagogastroduodenoscopy in patients at high risk of head and neck cancer. . 2026. PMID 42230510 · DOI · PMC13319248
- Kezirian EJ, Goldberg AN. Hypopharyngeal surgery in obstructive sleep apnea: an evidence-based medicine review. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2006. PMID 16490881 · DOI
- Logemann JA. Swallowing physiology and pathophysiology. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 1988. PMID 3054716 · DOI
- Baron TH, Wong Kee Song LM, Zielinski MD, Emura F, Fotoohi M, Kozarek RA. A comprehensive approach to the management of acute endoscopic perforations (with videos). Gastrointest Endosc. 2012. PMID 22831858 · DOI
- Piazza C, Taglietti V, Nicolai P. Reconstructive options after total laryngectomy with subtotal or circumferential hypopharyngectomy and cervical esophagectomy. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2012. PMID 22327791 · DOI
- Disa JJ, Pusic AL, Mehrara BJ. Reconstruction of the hypopharynx with the free jejunum transfer. J Surg Oncol. 2006. PMID 17061270 · DOI
- Wycliffe ND, Grover RS, Kim PD, Simental A. Hypopharyngeal cancer. Top Magn Reson Imaging. 2007. PMID 17893590 · 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.