| Cricothyroid ligament | |
|---|---|
 The ligaments of the larynx. Antero-lateral view. | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | ligamentum cricothyroideum |
| FMA | 55233 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Thecricothyroid ligament (also known as thecricothyroid membrane orcricovocal membrane) is aligament in theneck. It connects thecricoid cartilage to thethyroid cartilage. It prevents these cartilages from moving too far apart. It is cut during an emergencycricothyrotomy to treat upperairway obstruction.
The cricothyroid ligament is composed of two parts:
Theconus elasticus (which means elastic cone in Latin) is the lateral portion of the cricothyroid ligament.[1] The lateral portions are thinner and lie close under themucous membrane of the larynx; they extend from the upper border of the cricoid cartilage to the lower margin of thevocal ligaments, with which they are continuous.[1] The vocal ligaments may therefore be regarded as the free borders of each conus elasticus.[1] They extend from thevocal processes of thearytenoid cartilages to the angle of the thyroid cartilage about midway between its upper and lower borders.
Theprelaryngeal lymph node (also known as theDelphian lymph node) sits anterior to the median cricothyroid ligament.[2]
The cricothyroid ligament prevents thecricoid cartilage and thethyroid cartilage from moving too far apart.
The cricothyroid ligament is cut during an emergencycricothyrotomy. This kind of surgical intervention is necessary duringairway obstruction above the level ofvocal folds.
The cricothyroid ligament is named after the two structures it connects: thecricoid cartilage and thethyroid cartilage. It is also known as the cricothyroid membrane, and the cricovocal membrane.[3] The various parts of the cricothyroid ligament have been named in many different ways, which can cause confusion.
The cricothyroid ligament can be found in many other animals, such ascats,[4]dogs,[4] andhorses.[5] Thetrachea can be accessed through the cricothyroid ligament, such as foraspiration.[4] It can be an important landmark.[5]
This article incorporates text in thepublic domain frompage 1078 of the 20th edition ofGray's Anatomy(1918)
