The corniculate cartilages (cartilages of Santorini) are two small conical nodules consisting of elastic
cartilage
Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints as articular cartilage, and is a structural component of many body parts including the rib cage, the neck an ...
, which articulate with the summits of the
arytenoid cartilages
The arytenoid cartilages () are a pair of small three-sided pyramids which form part of the larynx. They are the site of attachment of the vocal cords. Each is pyramidal or ladle-shaped and has three surfaces, a base, and an apex. The arytenoid ...
and serve to prolong them posteriorly and medially.
They are situated in the posterior parts of the
aryepiglottic folds
The aryepiglottic folds are triangular folds of mucous membrane of the larynx. They enclose ligamentous and muscular fibres. They extend from the lateral borders of the epiglottis to the arytenoid cartilages, hence the name 'aryepiglottic'. They ...
of
mucous membrane
A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It is ...
, and are sometimes fused with the
arytenoid cartilages
The arytenoid cartilages () are a pair of small three-sided pyramids which form part of the larynx. They are the site of attachment of the vocal cords. Each is pyramidal or ladle-shaped and has three surfaces, a base, and an apex. The arytenoid ...
.
Eponym
It is named by
Giovanni Domenico Santorini
Giovanni Domenico Santorini (June 6, 1681 – May 7, 1737) was an Italian anatomist. He was a native of Venice, earning his medical doctorate at Pisa in 1701. He is remembered for conducting anatomical dissections of the human body.
From 1705 un ...
. The word "Corniculate" has a Latin root "cornu". Cornu means horn like projections. The projections of Corniculate cartilage look like "horns" hence the name.
Additional images
File:Gray950.png, The cartilages of the larynx. Posterior view.
File:Gray956.png, Laryngoscopic view of interior of larynx.
File:Gray958.png, Muscles of larynx. Posterior view.
File:Gray959.png, Muscles of larynx. Side view. Right lamina of thyroid cartilage removed.
File:Slide6vvv.JPG, Corniculate cartilages
References
External links
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Human head and neck