The thyrohyoid membrane (or hyothyroid membrane) is a broad, fibro-elastic sheet of the

larynx The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal inlet is about ...

. It connects the upper border of the

thyroid cartilage The thyroid cartilage is the largest of the nine cartilages that make up the ''laryngeal skeleton'', the cartilage structure in and around the trachea that contains the larynx. It does not completely encircle the larynx (only the cricoid cartilage ...

to the

hyoid bone The hyoid bone (lingual bone or tongue-bone) () is a horseshoe-shaped bone situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. At rest, it lies between the base of the mandible and the third cervical verteb ...

Structure

The thyrohyoid membrane is attached below to the upper border of the

and to the front of its superior cornu, and above to the upper margin of the posterior surface of the body and

greater cornu The hyoid bone (lingual bone or tongue-bone) () is a horseshoe-shaped bone situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. At rest, it lies between the base of the mandible and the third cervical vertebra ...

of the

. It passes behind the posterior surface of the body of the hyoid. It is separated from the hyoid bone by a mucous

bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

, which allows for the upward movement of the larynx during

swallowing Swallowing, sometimes called deglutition in scientific contexts, is the process in the human or animal body that allows for a substance to pass from the mouth, to the pharynx, and into the esophagus, while shutting the epiglottis. Swallowing i ...

. Its middle thicker part is termed the median thyrohyoid ligament. Its lateral thinner portions are pierced by the superior laryngeal vessels and the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve. Its anterior surface is in relation with the thyrohyoid muscle, sternohyoid muscle, and

omohyoid muscle The omohyoid muscle is a muscle that depresses the hyoid. It is located in the front of the neck, and consists of two bellies separated by an intermediate tendon. The omohyoid muscle is proximally attached to the scapula and distally attached to t ...

s, and with the body of the hyoid bone. It is pierced by the superior laryngeal nerve. It is also pierced the

superior thyroid artery The superior thyroid artery arises from the external carotid artery just below the level of the greater cornu of the hyoid bone and ends in the thyroid gland. Structure From its origin under the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid the su ...

, where there is a thickening of the membrane.

Clinical significance

Superior laryngeal artery

The thyrohyoid membrane needs to be manipulated to access the

History

The thyrohyoid membrane refers to the two structures it connects: the

and the

. It may also be known as the hyothyroid membrane, where the two structures are reversed.

Additional images

File:Slide14e.JPG, Thyrohyoid membrane File:Slide8ss.JPG, Thyrohyoid membrane File:Slide11lll.JPG, Thyrohyoid membrane File:Slide2deded.JPG, Muscles, nerves and arteries of neck. Deep dissection. Anterior view.

References

External links

* * () * - "Larynx, anterior view" * - "Larynx, lateral view" {{Authority control Human head and neck