1170 



THE ORGANS OF VOICE AND RESPIRATION 



portion and two lateral portions. 



cornua of the thyroid cartilage and the extremities of the greater cornua of the 

 hvoid hone. A small cartilaginous nodule (cart Hag o triticea), sometimes bony, 

 is frequently found in each. 



The ligament connecting the epiglottis with the hyoid bone is the hyoepiglottic. 

 In addition to this extrinsic ligament, the epiglottis is connected to the tongue by 

 the three glossoepiglottic folds of mucous membrane, which may also be considered 

 as extrinsic ligaments of the epiglottis. The hyoepiglottic ligament (ligamentum 

 hyoepiglotticum) is an elastic band, which extends from the anterior surface of 

 the epiglottis, near its apex, to the upper border of the body of the hyoid bone. 

 The cricotracheal ligament (ligamentum cricotracheale) connects the cricoid 

 cartilage with the first ring of the trachea. It resembles the fibrous membrane 

 which connects the cartilaginous rings of the trachea. 



Intrinsic Ligaments. The ligaments connecting the thyroid cartilage to the 

 cricoid are three in number the cricothyroid membrane and the two capsular 

 ligaments. 



The Cricothyroid Membrane (conus elasticus) (Figs. 881 and 891) is composed 

 mainly of yellow elastic tissue. It consists of three parts, a central triangular 



The central part (ligamentum cricothyreoideum 

 medium) is thick and strong, 

 narrow above and broaden- 

 ing out below. It connects 

 the contiguous margins or" the 

 thyroid and cricoid cartilages. 

 It is convex, concealed on 

 each side by the Cricothyroid 

 muscle, but subcutaneous in 

 the middle line; it is crossed 

 horizontally by a small anas- 

 tomotic arterial arch, formed 

 by the junction of the two 

 cricothyroid arteries. 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 

 true vocal cords with which 

 they are continuous. These 

 cords may therefore be re- 

 garded as the free borders of 

 the lateral portions of the 

 cricothyroid membrane; ^hey 

 extend from the vocal processes of the arytenoid cartilages to the receding 



ARYTENO- 

 EPIGLOTTIDEUS 



cmco-_=. 



THYREOIDEUS \?, 



LARYNGEAL 

 SACCULE 



INFERIOR 

 -OR TRUE 

 VOCAL CORD 



FIG. 883. Coronal section of larynx, rear view of front half 

 (Testut.) 



of the thyroid cartilage near its centre. The lateral portions are lined 

 internally by mucous membrane, and are separated from the thyrbid cartilage 

 by the Cricoarytenoideus lateralis and Thyroarytenoideus muscles. 



A capsular ligament, strengthened posteriorly by a well-marked fibrous band, 

 encloses the articulation of the inferior cornu of the thyroid with the cricoid 

 cartilage on each side. The articulation is lined by synovia! membrane. 



Each arytenoid cartilage is connected to the cricoid by a capsular ligament 

 (capsula articularis cricoarytaenoidea) and a posterior cricoarytenoid ligament 

 (ligamentum cricoaryteuoideum postering). The capsular ligament is thin and 

 loose, and is attached to the margin of the articular surfaces, and lined by synovial 



