What Did You Say? - The Larynx Quiz

Answer: Thyroid

The thyroid cartilage has a complex shape. It consists of two side plates called laminae that fuse in the front center of the cartilage to form the Adam's apple, which can also be called the "pomus Adamus". This angle of fusion between the two laminae varies between genders: in males, it is about 90 degrees, and 120 degrees in the female. This is why you see a more prominent bulge in the necks of males.

The hyoid is actually a bone and not a cartilage.

Answer: Closed

For breathing, it is rather obvious that the larynx must remain open to allow the passage of air, but in speaking, it must remain closed so that the air is forced through the vocal cords (or vocal folds). The vibrating column of air produced by the vocal cords is further modified by structures such as the tongue and mouth to produce the sounds of speech.

Answer: Rima glottidis

The rima glottidis is also called the "glottis" or just "rima" and forms an approximately triangular-shaped space (when seen from above) between the two true vocal cords. Its size can be increased or decreased (for example, during speech) by contraction of the surrounding muscles.

The foramen caecum, meaning "blind hole", refers to various structures in the body. There are foramina caeca in the tongue, medulla oblongata of the brain, and the frontal bone of the skull. I made up the other two terms in the question.

Answer: Interarytenoid muscle

The two vocal cords are each attached to a cartilage called an arytenoid cartilage. These cartilages are pyramidal in shape, having three surfaces and a base and apex. When viewed from above, they are approximately J and L shaped, with the vocal cords projecting forward from the tops of the "letters" to form a point.

The body of the interarytenoid muscle is seen from the side - in this view, the cartilages appear approximately triangular-shaped. The muscle has two parts: a transverse part running in a band between the cartilages, and an oblique part, which consists of fibers running in an X between the cartilage.

When the muscle contracts, the fibers shorten and the cartilages are pulled closer together, closing the rima glottidis.

Answer: False

This is false: in fact, in man, the epiglottis is relatively smaller. In other animals, mainly mammals, it is used for the purpose of smell. When the animals are grazing, the epiglottis blocks off the nose from the mouth; this allows the animal to quickly smell a predator if one approaches, without the interference of the scent of their food.

Though its function is to close off the larynx during swallowing to stop food entering the lungs, the epiglottis is not crucial in man - it can be surgically removed and the person can live normally without choking all the time.

Answer: Their larynges are bigger and thus have smaller muscles

The cricothyroid muscle controls the pitch of speech. It attaches to the bottom of the thyroid cartilage and the top of the cricoid cartilage underneath. When it contracts, the thyroid cartilage pivots around its joint to the cricoid cartilage, which is in the form of a pointed horn nestled in the cricoid.

The thyroid cartilage is tipped forward, which stretches out the vocal cords. This gives a higher pitch of the voice - you can demonstrate this yourself by plucking an elastic band. When it's stretched out, it gives a much higher tone when plucked.

In males, because the larynx is much bigger, the surrounding muscles are not large enough to sufficiently stretch the vocal cords for a higher pitch.

Answer: Vagus (X)

The recurrent laryngeal nerve takes a bit of a detour, hence its name "recurrent". It emerges from the vagus nerve, which is a cranial nerve and so emerges from the medulla oblongata of the brain. It then travels down into the chest before looping back up into the neck to innervate the laryngeal muscles. Because of its proximity to the thyroid gland, the nerve can be damaged in thyroidectomies, which can result in difficulties speaking or breathing.

Answer: Reinke's edema

Though acid reflux and an underactive thyroid gland can contribute to Reinke's edema, the main cause is smoking. The pitch of the voice becomes lower and speaking can be difficult for the patient. It can be treated by surgery or in milder cases quitting smoking alone can cause the edema to subside.

Laryngitis sicca is a condition that results from dehydration of the vocal cords. A thick mucus covers the cords, preventing them vibrating properly.

Ackerman tumor is another name for verrucous carcinoma, which is a skin cancer.

Vocalitis is a term I made up.

Answer: Computer programmer

Vocal fold nodules usually appear as symmetrical swellings on both of the vocal cords. They are usually caused by overuse of the voice, such as continuous yelling, and result in a very hoarse voice, thus computer programmers would be least likely to be affected than the other options because they don't use their voices as much for their jobs. Treatment involves vocal rest and sometimes speech therapy. Only rarely is surgery required.

Answer: Presbylaryngis

Granuloma is a special type of inflammation that commonly occurs when a breathing tube is inserted.

A laryngocele is a dilated air sac that develops in the larynx due to increased pressure. It is usually seen in chronic obstructive airway disease.

Rickettsiosis is a type of bacterial disease, mainly caused by Rickettsia species. An example is of a rickettsiosis is typhus.