Cricopharyngeal ligament
Ligamentum cricopharyngeum
A small band at the back of the larynx that ties the lamina of the cricoid cartilage to the midline of the pharyngeal wall behind it.
At a glance
- English
- Cricopharyngeal ligament
- Latin (TA2)
- Ligamentum cricopharyngeum
- System
- Ligament
- Region
- Neck
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the cricopharyngeal ligament
The cricopharyngeal ligament is a short band of fibrous tissue at the junction of the larynx and the lowest part of the pharynx. It runs from the posterior part of the cricoid lamina, near its upper border, backwards and upwards into the submucosa of the laryngopharynx in the midline. It thus links the back of the larynx to the front wall of the pharynx, where the two lie against each other.
The cricoid is the only complete ring of cartilage in the airway. Its broad posterior lamina forms the back of the larynx and carries the arytenoid cartilages on its upper border. On the back of the lamina lie the paired posterior crico-arytenoid muscles, and behind these the mucosa of the laryngopharynx, which here forms the front wall of the food passage. The ligament passes between these layers, close to the lower end of the corniculate and arytenoid cartilages above and the piriform recesses on either side.
Its role is to anchor the anterior wall of the laryngopharynx to the larynx. When the larynx is pulled upwards and forwards during swallowing, the front of the pharynx is drawn with it, which helps open the way into the oesophagus. Just below lies the cricopharyngeal part of the inferior constrictor, a muscular sling attached to the sides of the cricoid that acts as the upper oesophageal sphincter.
The region matters clinically. A weak area above the cricopharyngeal muscle on the back wall of the pharynx is where a pharyngeal pouch (Zenker diverticulum) can form, and the sphincter area is a common site for swallowed objects to stick. Endoscopes must pass this narrow point carefully.
Attachments and function
- Attaches from
- Posterior surface of the cricoid lamina, near its upper border.
- Attaches to
- Submucosa of the anterior wall of the laryngopharynx in the midline.
- Function
- Anchors the front wall of the laryngopharynx to the larynx so that the two move together during swallowing.
- Blood supply
- Laryngeal and pharyngeal branches of the inferior thyroid artery.
Anthromica
See the cricopharyngeal ligament where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
- Every layer, one body. Peel from muscle to bone, nerve, vessel and organ, and turn it any way.
- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
- Quiz until it sticks. Short drills on the structures you keep missing.
Free to start. No card.
