Epiglottic vallecula
Vallecula epiglottica
Definition
The epiglottic vallecula is a depression just behind the root of the tongue between the medial and lateral glosso-epiglottic folds in the throat. These depressions serve as "spit traps"; saliva is temporarily held in the valleculae to prevent initiation of the swallowing reflex.
References
This definition incorporates text from the wikipedia website - Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2004, July 22). FL: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved August 10, 2004, from http://www.wikipedia.org
