Concept in Definition ABC

The Larynx It is a structure found in the airway, allowing the passage of the air between the back of the nose and the windpipe.

The larynx is made up of a series of cartilage and muscles lined by a mucous membrane, the cartilages have the function of keeping the airway open preventing it from collapsing, as this could produce suffocation. One of the cartilages of the larynx is prominent producing a boss which is most noticeable on the neck of man that is known as the Adam's apple.

Inside the larynx there are a series of muscles and membranes that make up the so-called vocal cords, these structures are mobilized and can be tensed or relaxed, which modifies the orifice that is between them known as the glottis, the regulation of the passage of air at this level when speaking is what produces the voice, the tone of the voice depends on variants such as the diameter and the form, in women and people with a high voice, is usually narrower, while in those with a lower tone of voice it is usually wider.

The larynx also has an important function by acting as a distributor that allows only the passage of air. During swallowing, one of its cartilage, known as the epiglottis, is located immediately behind the language, falls backward closing the entrance to the larynx and diverting the food into the esophagus immediately behind the larynx and trachea.

The larynx can be the seat of infectious and inflammatory diseases that cause laryngitis, in this condition the inflammation affects the vocal cords producing dry cough and hoarse voice or dysphonia, in severe cases aphonia occurs which is a state in which the voice. A relatively frequent cause of laryngitis is pharyngolaryngeal reflux and gastroesophageal reflux this condition is due to the fact that food is returned from the stomach to the pharynx passing through the esophagus and part of the contents acid to the larynx irritating the vocal cords. In this structure, the development of a type of tumor can also occur, laryngeal cancer, which occurs in smokers.

The various cartilages of the larynx are united in their anterior part by thin membranes, this has a strategic importance since in situations of emergency in which asphyxia occurs due to obstruction of the upper part of the airway, or due to edema or swelling of the glottis product of a severe allergic reaction, a cannula may be inserted to restore ventilation and prevent death until the victim is subjected to a treatment Definitively, this procedure is known as a cricothyrotomy and is similar to a tracheostomy with the difference that it is performed higher up in the larynx and not in the trachea.