Cricothyroid ligament
Encyclopedia
The cricothyroid ligament is the larger part of the laryngeal
membrane, continuing inferiorly as a median or anterior part and twin lateral ligaments.
The median cricothyroid ligament
is a flat band of white tissue
joining the cricoid
and thyroid
cartilages, while the lateral cricothyroid ligament is also known as the cricothyroid membrane (also called conus elasticus
).
. This ligament's main purpose is to keep the cricoid and thyroid from traveling too far.
Larynx
The larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles and mammals involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume...
membrane, continuing inferiorly as a median or anterior part and twin lateral ligaments.
The median cricothyroid ligament
Median cricothyroid ligament
The anterior part of the cricothyroid ligament, or middle cricothyroid ligament, is thick and strong, narrow above and broad below.It connects together the front parts of the contiguous margins of the thyroid and cricoid cartilages...
is a flat band of white tissue
Biological tissue
Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...
joining the cricoid
Cricoid
The cricoid cartilage, or simply cricoid , is the only complete ring of cartilage around the trachea.-Location:...
and thyroid
Thyroid
The thyroid gland or simply, the thyroid , in vertebrate anatomy, is one of the largest endocrine glands. The thyroid gland is found in the neck, below the thyroid cartilage...
cartilages, while the lateral cricothyroid ligament is also known as the cricothyroid membrane (also called conus elasticus
Conus elasticus
The conus elasticus is the lateral portion of the cricothyroid ligament.The lateral portions are thinner and lie close under the mucous membrane of the larynx; they extend from the superior border of the cricoid cartilage to the inferior margin of the vocal ligaments, with which they are...
).
Clinical significance
This ligament is cut during emergency cricothyrotomyCricothyrotomy
A cricothyrotomy is an incision made through the skin and cricothyroid membrane to establish a patent airway during certain life-threatening situations, such as airway obstruction by a foreign body, angioedema, or massive...
. This ligament's main purpose is to keep the cricoid and thyroid from traveling too far.