Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle

Lateral cricoarytenoid
Muscles of larynx. Side view. Right lamina of thyroid cartilage removed.
Details
Origin	lateral part of the arch of the cricoid
Insertion	muscular process of the arytenoid cartilage
Nerve	recurrent laryngeal branch of the vagus
Actions	adduct and medially rotate the cartilage, pulling the vocal ligaments towards the midline and backwards and so closing off the rima glottidis
Antagonist	Posterior cricoarytenoid muscle
Identifiers
Latin	Musculus cricoarytaenoideus lateralis
TA98	A06.2.08.006
TA2	2198
FMA	46579
Anatomical terms of muscle [edit on Wikidata]

The lateral cricoarytenoid (also anterior cricoarytenoid) muscles extend from the lateral cricoid cartilage to the muscular process of the arytenoid cartilage. By rotating the arytenoid cartilages medially, these muscles adduct the vocal cords and thereby close the rima glottidis, protecting the airway. (Their action is antagonistic to that of the posterior cricoarytenoid muscles.) The lateral cricoarytenoid muscles receive innervation from the recurrent laryngeal branch of the vagus nerve (CN X).

Additional images[]

• 

  Muscles of the larynx, seen from above.

See also[]

• Cricoid cartilage
• Arytenoid cartilage

External links[]

• Atlas image: rsa4p3 at the University of Michigan Health System
• lesson11 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (larynxlatcricoary)

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