| Definition: |
This attaches the caudal border of the thyroid cartilage to the ventral arch of the cricoid cartilage. Its sheetlike ventral portion is sometimes referred to as the cricothyroid membrane. Being elastic, it 'balances' movement at the hinge-like cricothyroid joint and determines the resting position of the larynx when the muscles are relaxed[MURDOCH]. The cricothyroid ligament is the larger part of the laryngeal membrane, continuing inferiorly as a median or anterior part and twin lateral ligaments. The median cricothyroid ligament is a flat band of white tissue joining the cricoid and thyroid cartilages, while the lateral cricothyroid ligament is also known as the cricothyroid membrane (also called conus elasticus). |