The Larynx Flashcards
What are the 3 functions of the larynx?
Respiration- coughing and airway protection
Phonation
Swallowing
What is the epiglottis made of? What are the cells on the lingual and undersurface? Where does it attach post?
Elastic fribrocartilage
Lingual- stratified squamous
Undersurface-columnar
Attached post to thyroid cartilage by thyroepiglotic ligament
What is the vallecula?
Depression between the tongue base and the epiglottis
What is the bit in between the vocal cords looking down into the trachea called?
Rima glottis
How is the epiglottis different in children to adults? What does it mean?
More U-shaped (flatter in adults)
Means oedema can block airways more easily
Which cartilage is the only one to form a complete ring around the airways?
Cricoid cartilage
What does the thyroid cartilage touch sup and inf? What two things attach to the thyroid cartilage? What is its main function?
Sup= hyoid bone
Inf= cricoid cartilage
Vocal cords and epiglottis
Protection
At what vertebral level is the cricoid cartilage found? What does it articulate with?
C6
Arytenoids and thyroid cartilage
Where are the arytenoids found? What do they offer? What other two cartilages are included?
On the cricoid cartilage
Post attachment for vocal cords and internal laryngeal muscles
Corniculate, cuneiform
What are the false vocal cords also known as?
Vestibular folds/ligaments
What connects the thyroid and cricoid cartilages? What is it also known as? Clinically what is it a useful landmark for?
Cricothyroid ligament, conus elasticus
Crycothyroidotomy
What does applying cricoid pressure do?
Keep airway open and patent but seals off oesophagus and prevents food regurg in unconscious pt
What connects the thyroid cartilage to hyoid bone?
Thyrohyoid cartilage
What epithelium are the vocal folds and vocalis?
Stratified squamous
Where do the vocal cords attach ant and post?
Ant= Inf surface of thyroid cartilage Post= arytenoids
What are responsible for moving the vocal cords? How are they seen in breathing, and swallowing? When are they partially abducted?
Arytenoids move vocal cords when pulled by intrinsic laryngeal muscles.
Breathing= abducted
Swallowing= adducted
Partially= coughing/talking
Which muscles is the exception to the rule for the intrinsic muscle of the larynx? Why? What does it do?
Cricothyroid as it is outside the thyroid cartilage
Increases vocal pitch
Which is the only thyroid muscle to ABduct the vocal cords?
Posterior cricoarytenoid
Name the 3 regions of the glottis and their boundaries.
Supraglottis= inf epiglottis -> vestibular folds Glottis= cords + 1cm Subglottis= inf glottis -> inf cricoid cartilage
Which CN provides sensory innervation to the larynx?
Vagus
What does the RLN provide sensory and motor to? What do the R and L branches run back up in?
Sensory- subglottic
Motor- intrinsic muscles
Tracheooesophagel groove
What does the sup laryngeal nerve divide into? What does each provide?
Internal- sensory to supraglottic
External- motor to cricothyroid
Which arteries run with the sup laryngeal and RLN?
Sup- sup thyroid artery
RLN- inf thyroid artery
Which membrane does the sup laryngeal nerve pierce?
Thyrohyoid
Give 4 causes of RLN palsy
Laryngeal cancer
Apical lung cancer
Trauma
Thyroid disease benign/malignant
With laryngeal cancer, when is there a good prognosis? How might a pt present (give 4 things)
If it’s supra or glottic regions ie above the glottis
Dysphagia, odonophagia, hoarseness of voice, foreign body sensation in throat
Where is the thyroid gland located?
In the anterior neck between C5-T1
