Vestibular fold

Vestibular fold
Laryngoscopic view of the vocal folds. (Vestibular fold labeled at center right.)
File:Gray954.png Coronal section of larynx and upper part of trachea.
Details
Latin	Plica vestibularis, plica ventricularis
Identifiers
Dorlands /Elsevier	p_24/12649402
TA
TH	{{#property:P1694}}
TE	{{#property:P1693}}
FMA	{{#property:P1402}}
Anatomical terminology [[[d:|edit on Wikidata]]]

The vestibular fold (ventricular fold, superior or false vocal cord) is one of two thick folds of mucous membrane, each enclosing a narrow band of fibrous tissue, the vestibular ligament, which is attached in front to the angle of the thyroid cartilage immediately below the attachment of the epiglottis, and behind to the antero-lateral surface of the arytenoid cartilage, a short distance above the vocal process.

The lower border of this ligament, enclosed in mucous membrane, forms a free crescentic margin, which constitutes the upper boundary of the ventricle of the larynx.

The vestibular folds of the larynx play a greater role in keeping food and drink out of the airway, breathing, and phonation (speech). People who have had their epiglottis removed because of cancer do not choke any more than when it was present.

They have a minimal role in normal phonation, but are often used to produce deep sonorous tones in Tibetan chant and Tuvan throat singing, as well as in musical screaming and the death growl singing style used in various forms of metal. Simultaneous voicing with the vocal and vestibular folds is diplophonia.

They are lined with respiratory epithelium, while true vocal cords have stratified squamous epithelium.

Additional images

Cut through the larynx of a horse:
1 hyoid bone 2 epiglottis 3 vestibular fold, false vocal fold/cord, (Plica vestibularis) 4 vocal fold, true vocal fold, (Plica vocalis) 5 Musculus ventricularis 6 ventricle of larynx (Ventriculus laryngis) 7 Musculus vocalis 8 Adam's apple (thyroid cartilage) 9 rings of cartilage (cricoid cartilage) 10 Cavum infraglotticum 11 first tracheal cartilage 12 Windpipe (Trachea)

The entrance to the larynx, posterior view.

See also

• Vocal folds
• Larynx

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

External links

• lesson11 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (larynxsagsect, larynxmembranes)
• Atlas image: rsa3p14 at the University of Michigan Health System - "Larynx, lateral view"
• Atlas image: rsa3p15 at the University of Michigan Health System - "Larynx, laryngoscopic view"
• Anatomy photo: respiratory/airways/larynx1/larynx4 - Comparative Organology at University of California, Davis