The Thyroid and Cricoid Cartilages.
The walls of the larynx are supported by nine (9) cartilages, which are linked
together by ligaments and connective tissue membranes.
Most prominent is the thyroid cartilage, which consists of two plates of hyaline
cartilage arranged in a wedge-shape. At the back of the larynx, the plates are
separated, and in front they are fused. At the top of the fused border, the thyroid
cartilage extends anteriorly, forming the laryngeal prominence or "Adam's apple".
Superior to the thyroid cartilage is the hyoid bone. Although connected to
the larynx by the thyrohyoid membrane, the u-shaped hyoid bone primarily serves
as a location for the tongue muscles to attach.
Attached to the inferior margins of the thyroid cartilage is the cricoid cartilage.
The posterior portion of this ring-shaped cartilage consists of a broad plate
that forms most of the back of the larynx. Along its anterior margin, the cricoid
cartilage forms a narrow band. Inferior to the cricoid cartilage is the trachea.
Like the thyroid cartilage, the cricoid cartilage is composed of hyaline cartilage.
