The larynx (voice box) is an organ located in the anterior neck. It is a component of the respiratory tract, and has several important functions, including phonation, the cough reflex, and protection of the lower respiratory tract.
The structure of the larynx is primarily cartilaginous, and is held together by a series of ligaments and membranes. Internally, the laryngeal muscles move components of the larynx for phonation and breathing.
In this article, we will discuss the anatomy of the larynx – its location, structure, vasculature and innervation. We shall also consider its clinical relevance.
Anatomical Position and Relations
The larynx is located in the anterior compartment of the neck, suspended from the hyoid bone, and spanning between C3 and C6. It is continuous inferiorly with the trachea, and opens superiorly into the laryngeal part of the pharynx.
It is covered anteriorly by the infrahyoid muscles, and laterally by the lobes of the thyroid gland. The larynx is also closely related to the major blood vessels of neck, which ascend laterally to it.
Posterior to the larynx is the oesophagus. This is of clinical relevance during emergency intubation – as pressure can be applied to the cricoid cartilage of the larynx to occlude the oesophagus, and thus prevent regurgitation of gastric contents (known as cricoid pressure or Sellick’s manoeuvre).
By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2023)
Fig 1 -Anatomical position of the larynx (yellow) in the neck. It is continuous with the trachea inferiorly and the pharynx superiorly.