Organ
Larynx
A movable airway valve that produces the voice
High-yield
The usual motor pattern is recurrent laryngeal supply to intrinsic muscles except cricothyroid, supplied by the external superior laryngeal branch. Internal superior laryngeal fibers carry sensation chiefly above the vocal folds; recurrent fibers chiefly below.
Overview
Between the pharynx and trachea, the larynx adjusts airflow, produces sound and helps protect the lungs during swallowing. Cartilages provide its framework; joints, membranes and muscles make it mobile. Vestibular folds sit above the true vocal folds, with a small ventricle between each upper and lower fold.
Reference facts
- Location
- Anterior neck between pharynx and trachea, approximately C3–C6 in a resting adult. It lies higher in young children and moves during swallowing.
- Parts
- Three usual unpaired cartilages - thyroid, cricoid and epiglottis - and paired arytenoid, corniculate and cuneiform cartilages. The cavity has a vestibule, a middle region with lateral ventricles, and an infraglottic cavity.
- Blood supply
- Superior laryngeal branches from the superior thyroid artery and inferior laryngeal branches from the inferior thyroid artery form anastomoses.
- Innervation
- Branches of CN X: external superior laryngeal for cricothyroid; recurrent laryngeal for the other intrinsic muscles. Sensory territories chiefly divide above and below the vocal folds, with communicating branches.
- Venous/Lymphatic drainage
- Laryngeal veins drain through thyroid veins to jugular and brachiocephalic systems. Supraglottic lymph reaches deep cervical nodes; subglottic routes include prelaryngeal, pretracheal, paratracheal and lower cervical nodes.
- Function
- Controls the airway opening, generates sound through vocal-fold vibration, and closes during swallowing and pressure-building actions such as coughing.
Clinical correlation
Small glottic cancers often cause hoarseness early. Their initial lymphatic spread is less frequent than that of supraglottic cancers, reflecting regional lymphatic differences. This is a tendency: tumor size and extension into neighboring regions also affect spread.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the larynx located?
Anterior neck between pharynx and trachea, approximately C3–C6 in a resting adult. It lies higher in young children and moves during swallowing.
What does the larynx do?
Controls the airway opening, generates sound through vocal-fold vibration, and closes during swallowing and pressure-building actions such as coughing.
What are the parts of the larynx?
Three usual unpaired cartilages - thyroid, cricoid and epiglottis - and paired arytenoid, corniculate and cuneiform cartilages. The cavity has a vestibule, a middle region with lateral ventricles, and an infraglottic cavity.
What is the blood supply of the larynx?
Superior laryngeal branches from the superior thyroid artery and inferior laryngeal branches from the inferior thyroid artery form anastomoses.