The Larynx Flashcards
What is the skeletal framework composed of?
Bone Cartilage Ligament Tendon It is a flexible, though there are age related changes
What does the larynx consist of?
Cartilages, connected by complex joints, enabled by muscular forces
What is the thyroid cartilage?
2 plates fused together at front (angle of thyroid) back= 2 long horns upward, 2 small horns downward
At the back of the thyroid cartilage what are the two long horns that point upward coupled to?
The hyoid bone
What do the 2 small horns that point downward at the back of the thyroid cartilage connect to?
The cricoid cartilage
Your trachea is as long and big as?
Your middle finger
Your wide open glottis is about the size of what?
A dime
Your approximated vocal folds have a surface area about the size of what?
Your thumbnail (well trimmed)
The vocal folds are about as thick as what?
Wooden matchsticks
Describe the cricoid cartilage
Circular structure with signet at back. Connects with thyroid
Describe Arytenoid cartilages
Triangular structures connect with cricoid. Vocal process connect with vocal folds
Name the two laryngeal joints
Cricothyroid joints and cricoarytenoid joints
What are cricothyroid joints composed of?
Cricoid cartilage and thyroid cartilage
Three ligaments surround the cricothyroid joints composed of?
Anterior
Lateral
Posterior
These are referred to as the ceratocricoid ligaments
What do the three ligaments that make up the ceratocricoid ligaments allow?
Rotation and sliding
What is the cricoarytenoid joints composed of?
Cricoid cartilage and Arytenoid cartilage
What are the two ligaments that surround the cricoarytenoid joints?
Anterior and posterior cricoarytenoid
What do the anterior and posterior cricoarytenoid ligaments allow?
Rotation and sliding?
What are the vocal folds composed of?
Vocal ligament + mucous
What are the vestibular folds composed of?
Vestibular ligament + mucous
What are the two types of laryngeal muscles?
Intrinsic and extrinsic
What are the five intrinsic laryngeal muscles?
Cricothyroid Thyroarytenoid Posterior cricoarytenoid Lateral cricoarytenoid Transverse arytenoids
What are the ten extrinsic laryngeal muscles?
Suprahyoid Stylohyoid DIGASTRIC Mylohyoid Geniohyoid Infrahyoid Omohyoid Sternohyoid Thyrohyoid
Intrinsic muscles…
Have profound impact on movement of vocal folds
The cricothyroid runs from where to where?
Runs from cricoid cartilage to thyroid cartilage
Thyroarytenoid and vocalis pass from where to where?
Passes from thyroid to vocal process ( of arytenoids)
Posterior cricothyroid is positioned?
From back of cricoid to Arytenoid
What do transverse arytenoids connect?
Two arytenoids
What are the transverse arytenoids?
Thick triangular muscle covered whole back of arytenoids and adduct during vocal fold vibration
Lateral cricoarytenoid
Cricoid to Arytenoid. Main function is to rotate the arytenoids, drawing vocal folds together
What is the action of the vocalis muscle?
Increases thickness of vocal folds
What is the action of the cricothyroid muscle?
Lengthens and stretches vocal folds
What is the action of the posterior cricothyroid?
Separated vocal folds
What is the action of the lateral cricoarytenoid muscle?
Closes the glottis
What is the action of the transverse Arytenoid?
Closes posterior glottis
What is the action of the thyroarytenoid muscle?
Shortens and relaxes vocal folds
Discuss extrinsic muscles
Stabilise and support the larynx
Thyrohyoid
Sternohyoid
Inferior constrictor
Where is the thyrohyoid situated?
On front and side of thyroid
Extends from thyroid to hyoid
The extrinsic infrahyoid is made up of?
Omohyoid and sternohyoid
The extrinsic suprahyoid is composed of?
Stylohyoid
DIGASTRIC
Mylohyoid
Geniohyoid
How does the action of closing off the larynx (swallowing) came about?
- Palate raised to close nasal cavity
2. Vocal folds are closed
How does the action of breathing occur?
- Quiet breathing-vocal folds are abducted
2. Forced breathing- vocal folds are abducted plus relaxation
Four suprahyoid muscles are involved in what?
Electives as they are all involved in raising the larynx
Describe swallowing
When swallowing the palate is closed, the larynx and pharynx are raised to hide larynx under tongue. The epiglottis is tipped backwards and the vocal folds are pulled together so that the glottis is narrowed.
What can affect breathing?
Changing the diameter of the glottis
What happens to the vocal folds during quiet (normal) breathing?
The vocal folds are slightly abducted due to sustained contraction of posterior cricoarytenoid.
What happens to the vocal folds during forced breathing ( when exercising)?
The gap is wider to allow more air to travel through. This happens due to increased contraction of the posterior cricoarytenoids and relaxation of transverse arytenoids .
What are the only muscles that can adduct vocal folds?
Posterior muscles- paralysis of this would have big impact
Describe phonation
- narrowed glottis
- Pitch-(stretch),(relax)
Lateral-pulls arytenoids (moving vocal folds closer).
Pitch relates to tension in VFs increased tension created by cricothyroid
As you get older what happens to the larynx?
Lowering of cricoid.
Cartilages ossify and calcify.
Arytenoid cartilage movements reduced.
Biological sex differences in the thyroid and vocal folds
Thyroid- bigger in men
Vocal folds- longer and thicker in males
The larynx is composed of?
Bone Cartilage Ligament Tendon It is flexible and goes through age-related changes.
Name 7 voice disorders
Inflammation Vocal misuse Cancer Vocal fold weakness Vocal fold spasm Laryngeal paralysis Motor speech disorders( dysarthria, apraxia of speech)
the laryngeal inlet refers to the point where
the pharynx opens into the larynx
which muscle can rotate the arytenoids, separating vocal folds
the posterior cricoarytenoid
which muscles are involved in adducting the vocal folds?
transverse arytenoid muscle, oblique arytenoid muscle and the lateral cricoarytenoid
which structure has both vocal processes and muscular processes?
arytenoid cartilages
