The Larynx It is a structure found in the airway, allowing air to pass 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 cartilage has the function of keeping the airway open, preventing it from collapsing, as this could cause suffocation. One of the cartilage of the larynx is prominent producing a bulge that 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 hole 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 shape, in women and people with a high voice it is usually narrower, while in those who have a lower tone of voice it is usually broader.
The larynx also has an important function by acting as a distributor that allows only the passage of air. During swallowing, one of its cartilages, known as the epiglottis, which is located immediately behind the tongue, falls backward, closing the entrance to the larynx and diverting food into the esophagus, which is 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 a dry cough and hoarse voice or dysphonia, in severe cases aphonia occurs which is a state in which it is lost completely the voice. A relatively common 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 through the esophagus, part of the acid content may be diverted 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 emergency situations in which asphyxia occurs due to obstruction of the upper part of the airway, or by edema or swelling of the the glottis product of a severe allergic reaction, it is possible to insert a cannula to restore ventilation and prevent death until the victim is subjected to definitive treatment, this procedure is known as cricothyrotomy and is similar to tracheostomy with the difference that it is carried out higher up at the level of the larynx and not in the trachea.
