Laryngeal inlet
Encyclopedia
The laryngeal inlet is the opening that connects the pharynx
and the larynx
.
Pharynx
The human pharynx is the part of the throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and anterior to the esophagus and larynx. The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections: the nasopharynx , the oropharynx , and the laryngopharynx...
and the larynx
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...
.
Borders
Its borders are formed by:- the free curved edge of the epiglottisEpiglottisThe epiglottis is a flap that is made of elastic cartilage tissue covered with a mucous membrane, attached to the entrance of the larynx. It projects obliquely upwards behind the tongue and the hyoid bone, pointing dorsally. The term, like tonsils, is often incorrectly used to refer to the uvula...
, anteriorly - the arytenoid cartilageArytenoid cartilageThe arytenoid cartilages are a pair of small three-sided pyramids which form part of the larynx, to which the vocal folds are attached...
s, the corniculate cartilages, and the interarytenoid fold, posteriorly - the aryepiglottic foldAryepiglottic foldThe entrance of the larynx is a triangular opening, narrow in front, wide behind, and sloping obliquely downward and backward. It is bound, in front, by the epiglottis; behind, by the apices of the arytenoid cartilages, the corniculate cartilages, and the interarytenoid notch; and on either side,...
, laterally