The =larynx= is a short tube which connects the pharynx and trachea. It
is a complex valvular apparatus, which regulates the volume of air in
respiration, prevents aspiration of foreign bodies, and is the chief
organ of voice.
It is situated partly between the internal pterygoid muscles, partly in
the neck between the parotid glands.[122] Its long axis is practically
horizontal when the head and neck are extended (Fig. 254).
It is related dorsally to the pharynx and the origin of the œsophagus.
Ventrally it is covered by the skin, fascia, and sterno-hyoid and
omo-hyoid muscles. Laterally it is related to the parotid and
submaxillary glands and to the internal pterygoid, stylo-maxillaris,
digastricus, stylo-hyoid, and pharyngeal constrictor muscles.
It is attached to the body and thyroid cornua of the hyoid bone, and
thus indirectly to the base of the cranium.
Its cavity communicates anteriorly with the pharynx and (potentially)
with the mouth; posteriorly, with the trachea.
The wall of the larynx consists of a framework of cartilages, connected
by joints and ligaments or membranes, and moved by extrinsic and
intrinsic muscles. The cavity is lined with mucous membrane.