Responsible for voice and partly for breathing.
The larynx includes the supraglottic larynx, glottic larynx (true vocal cords and anterior and posterior commissures), and subglottic larynx.
Serves important functions of breathing, swallowing, coughing and phonation that require an intact recurrent laryngeal nerve.
Laryngeal mechanics require multiplanar movement of the vocal cords.
Open vocal folds facilitate breathing, while closing the vocal folds protects airway during deglutition.
During deglutition the larynx must move superiorly and anteriorly to open the esophageal inlet.
Forced exhalation of air against closed vocal cords enables phonation.
Variation in pitch is achieved through shortening and lengthening of the vocal folds.
Made up of the glottis, supraglottis and subglottis.
The three part of the larynx have different physical makeup, functions and lymphatic drainage.
The glottis is the midsection of the larynx and contains the true vocal cords.
Composed of multiple different tissue types with the supraglottis and subglottis consisting of respiratory mucosa.
Glottis lesions associated with hoarse voice.
Glottis has relatively little lymphatic drainage and malignancies of this site are often diagnosed early at curable stages, before lymph node involvement.
The supraglottis contains the intricate musculature that controls the vocal cords and includes the epiglottis, a cartilaginous flap that protects the airway by closing during swallowing.
Lesions of the supraglottis do not produce early symptoms and many patients with supraglottis tumors have lymph node involvement.
The subglottis comprises the throat below the glottis and leads to the pharynx.
Lesions of the subglottis often lack early symptoms and tend to be more advanced at presentation than to lesions of the glottis.