Thyroid cartilage
Cartilago thyroidea
RespiratoryOrgansNeck
- What it is
- The largest laryngeal cartilage: two quadrilateral plates of hyaline cartilage fused in front at an angle that forms the laryngeal prominence (Adam's apple), with superior and inferior horns on the posterior borders.
- Function
- Shields the larynx and anchors the vocal folds, which attach to the inside of its angle.
- Size
- About 3–4 cm wide and 2.5–3 cm high; the laminae meet at ~90° in men and ~120° in women.
- Clinical note
- The cricothyroid muscle tilts it forward on the cricoid to stretch the vocal folds and raise pitch; it often ossifies with age.