hello everybody let's talk about the ligaments and membranes of the larynx
the larynx is both extrinsic and intrinsic membranes and ligaments extrinsic membranes
are those that are going to connect the larynx to outside structures whereas intrinsic membranes
are those which connect elements of the larynx to other elements of the larynx
so the first membrane that that we'll discuss as part of this video is the
thyrohyoid membrane so the thyrohyoid membrane attaches the thyroid cartilage
to the hyoid bone this thyrohyoid membrane is an extrinsic membrane of the larynx
and it's one of the elements that you should look to as we navigate the the larynx at
least anteriorly or laterally you can see that the thyrohyoid membrane is pierced
laterally by the superior laryngeal artery and the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve
looking at the intrinsic membrane of the larynx there are two superiorly we have the quadrangular
membranes and inferiorly or more distally we have the conus elasticus so let's start
with the quadrangular membrane the quadrangular membrane helps to shape the laryngeal vestibule
and it forms the structure of the vestibular ligaments so here we can see that the
the cricoid cartilage has been cut through and reflected away so that we see the the internal
aspect of the larynx and we see very well-defined laryngeal ventricle there and superior to the
laryngeal ventricle are the vestibular folds those vestibular folds are mucosa that surround
the vestibular ligaments and those vestibular ligaments are the inferior most part
of the quadrangular membrane so we have one on either side so the quadrangular membrane extends
superiorly on either side and around if you can imagine it coming together
and the airy epiglottic folds run from the arenoid cartilage up to the epiglottis so those are the
superior most extent of the quadrangular membranes so the quadrangular membranes are going to run
from the airy epiglottic folds superiorly down to the vestibular ligaments inferiorly
so moving distally or inferiorly along the larynx we come to the conus elasticus and the
conus elasticus is known by a variety of names it's synonymous with the cricovocal membrane
or the cricothyroid membrane and there are three distinct parts to it only two of which we'll see
in the in the laboratory so the the first part and this is the most superior part of the conus
elasticus are the vocal folds you can see there in there so the the vocal ligaments i'm sorry when
invested by mucosa are known as the vocal folds and those ligaments are the superior most part
of the conus elasticus as we turn to a more anterior view we can see that the cricothyroid
ligament specifically the median cricothyroid ligament is here
that's sort of nestled between the thyroid cartilage
superiorly the cricoid cartilage inferiorly and then we have the cricothyroid muscles
on either side that median cricothyroid ligament is the structure through which
one would incise for a cricothyrotomy which is performed in emergent situations in order to
maintain an airway there are also two lateral cricothyroid ligaments that we can't see here
that run from the vocal ligaments down to the distal lateral walls of the larynx
the conus elasticus acts as a funnel and what it does is direct air superiorly towards the rima
glottidis so that when one is in the process of phonation that air is directed at the vocal
folds so that they may vibrate to produce sound so we've discussed the uh the various membranes
and their ligaments of the larynx both extrinsic such as the thyrohyoid membrane
and intrinsic such as the quadrangular membranes and conus elasticus i thank you for your time