Larynx

It is the organ of voice extending from root of tongue to trachea and lies opposite C3 to C6. Distance between teeth and vocal cords is 12-15 cm and distance between vocal cords and carina is 10-15 cm. It consists of 3 paired cartilages namely arytenoid, corniculate and cuneiform and three unpaired cartilages, namely thyroid, cricoid and epiglottis. The glottis is the narrowest part in adults while subglottis (at the leuel of cricoid) is the narrowest part in children up to the age of 6 years. As sub-glottis is the narrowest part, the cuff of endotrac-heal tube can cause subglottic edema and stenosis, therefore the traditional approach had been not to use cuffed tube in children, however this approach is not followed in current day practice. erve supply: All muscles of the larynx are supplied by recurrent laryngeal nerve except cricothyroid which is supplied by external branch of superior laryngeal nerve. Sensory supply: Up to vocal cords by internal branch of superior laryngeal nerve and below vocal cords by recurrent laryngeal nerve. Arterial supply: By laryngeal branches of superior and inferior thyroid arteries.