Conus elasticus
Conus elasticus
- Latin synonym: Membrana cricovocalis
- Synonym: Cricovocal membrane
- Related terms: Conus elasticus; Cricovocal membrane; Conus elasticus; Cricovocal membrane (Fibroelastic membrane of larynx)
Definition
The conus elasticus (cricothyroid membrane) is composed mainly of yellow elastic tissue.
It consists of an anterior and two lateral portions :
The anterior part or median cricothyroid ligament (central part of cricothyroid membrane) is thick and strong, narrow above and broad below. It connects together the front parts of the contiguous margins of the thyroid and cricoid cartilages. It is overlapped on either side by the cricothyreoideus, but is subcutaneous between these muscles; it is crossed horizontally by a small anastomotic arterial arch, formed by the junction of the two cricothyroid arteries, branches of which pierce it.
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 vocal ligaments, with which they are continuous. These ligaments may therefore be regarded as the free borders of the lateral portions of the conus elasticus, and extend from the vocal processes of the arytenoid cartilages to the angle of the thyroid cartilage about midway between its upper and lower borders.
References
