Bronchi

BRONCHI

Figure 5.

The trachea ultimately branches into the left and right primary bronchi. They are lined by respiratory epithelium containing goblet cells. There is nervous tissue at the carina that causes severe coughing if food or a foreign body is present. There are rings of cartilage that support the bronchial structure so they do not collapse. These are part of the conducting zone because they do not participate in gas exchange and contain debristrapping mucus.