Median cricothyroid ligament
Ligamentum cricothyreoideum medianum
- Latin synonym: Ligamentum cricothyroideum medianum
Definition
The anterior part of the conus elasticus is the middle cricothyroid ligament (ligamentum cricothyreoideum medium; central part of cricothyroid membrane). It is thick and strong, narrow above and broad below. It connects together the front parts of the contiguous margins of the thyroid and cricoid cartilages. It is overlapped on either side by the Cricothyreoideus, but between these is subcutaneous; it is crossed horizontally by a small anastomotic arterial arch, formed by the junction of the two cricothyroid arteries, branches of which pierce it.
This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).
