Embryological Development of Larnyx
Embryological Development of Larnyx
Embryological Development of Larnyx
DEVELOPMENT OF LARYNX
GROUP 3
Done by:
Ruth
Visishta
Sera
Cristelle
LARNYX
The larynx (voicebox) is situated in the anterior
portion of the neck above the trachea. Its location
anterior to the inferior portion of the pharynx
allows it to play an important role in deglutition.
Primary function of larynx is protection of airway
from food particles and secretion of oropharynx.
• The larynx develops from the cranial-most part of the
respiratory diverticulum.
• The communication, between the diverticulum and
the pharynx, persists as the inlet of the larynx.
LARYNGEAL CARTILAGES
The cartilages separate into two groupings.
The first set of cartilages are considered to be unpaired cartilages of the larynx
(known as the thyroid and cricoid cartilages).
Two laminae of the thyroid cartilage come together to join anteriorly at the
laryngeal prominence, popularly known as the "Adam's apple".
Within this thyrohyoid membrane lies a foramen in which both the superior
laryngeal vessels and the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve reside.
The inferior horn attaches to the cricoid cartilage via the cricothyroid membrane.
The cricoid cartilage is the only full cartilage ring within the larynx.
It is composed of hyaline cartilage and often referred to as having
a “signet ring” appearance. The posterior aspect of the cricoid
cartilage, known as the lamina, is much wider than the anterior
portion of the cartilage, referred to as the arch of the cricoid.
Thyroarytenoid muscle,
Deep lamina propria,
Intermediate lamina propria,
Superficial lamina propria,
and the Squamous epithelium.
The deep and intermediate lamina propria both are grouped to form
the vocal ligament mentioned above.
The opening into the laryngeal lumen is lined by the aryepiglottic
folds in which several of the cartilages lie.
Higher pitched phonation, however, is best when the vocal folds tense via
the two bundles of the cricothyroid muscle.
The pars recta, the vertically oriented bundle, attaches to the anterior portion of the
cricoid and the thyroid cartilage thus causing an anterior rotation around the
cricothyroid joint when it contracts.
The second bundle is oriented upward and backward and is known as the pars
oblique.
The pars oblique contracts and subsequently displaces its attachments at the
anterior surfaces of the cricoid cartilage and thyroid cartilage posteriorly. These two
actions together cause increased tension and elongation of the vocal folds.
EMBRYOLOGY OF THE LARYNX
The larynx develops during the fourth week of development from both
the endoderm and the mesoderm.
The internal lining of the larynx originates from the endoderm while the
cartilages and muscles develop from the third, fourth, and sixth
pharyngeal arches.
THE 4TH WEEK
At the fourth week, an outgrowth known as the laryngotracheal
groove appears from the developing foregut.
The arches give rise to the nerves, cartilages, and musculature in the larynx.
They are:
Third Branchial Arch
Cranial nerve IX
Greater horn of hyoid, epiglottis
No part of the larynx is ossified at birth. The first to ossify is the hyoid around
the second or third year of life. The teenage years are when the thyroid
cartilage ossifies, while the cricoid does not ossify until the fourth decade of
life.
• By the second trimester diaphragmatic and laryngeal
movements can be identified and the coordination between
the respiratory and laryngeal systems is apparent.
It is obvious that the size of the laryngeal anatomy is
smaller in a newborn child versus an adult.
• The vocal folds are complete, and the baby can and does
sometimes cry silently by the 12th week of fetal
development.