Where is the epiglottis? Epiglottic cartilage and movement during swallowing
Where is the epiglottis?
What happens at the back of the throat when you swallow? Something has to cover the airway so food goes into the oesophagus rather than the trachea. One of the structures that does this is the epiglottis.
It stands just behind the root of the tongue, in front of the entrance to the larynx, shaped like a leaf or spoon, broad above and narrowing to a stalk below. In the side view the yellow epiglottic cartilage rises from behind the thyroid cartilage to behind the hyoid bone.
An elastic cartilage core
Its core is the epiglottic cartilage, the name shown in teamLabBody, covered by mucosa. Like the cartilage of the ear it is elastic cartilage, flexible and springing back to shape, unlike the hyaline thyroid and cricoid cartilages. The stalk is attached to the back of the thyroid angle by the thyroepiglottic ligament, and the front surface to the hyoid by the hyoepiglottic ligament.
Movement during swallowing
During swallowing the larynx rises forward and up with the hyoid, the root of the tongue is pushed back, and the epiglottis tips back and down over the laryngeal inlet. Food slides over it, divides to either side, and passes around the larynx into the oesophagus. The inlet is also closed by the vocal and vestibular folds, so the epiglottis is one of several layers of protection. Textbooks and studies describe the extent and sequence of its movement somewhat differently.
Around the epiglottis
・Valleculae: paired hollows between the root of the tongue and the epiglottis, separated by the median glossoepiglottic fold
・Aryepiglottic folds: run from the sides of the epiglottis back to the arytenoid cartilages and form the sides of the laryngeal inlet
・Quadrangular membrane: between the epiglottis and arytenoids; its lower edge is the vestibular ligament
The aryepiglottic muscle runs in the aryepiglottic fold and narrows the inlet.
Name and terms
Epi- means above and glottis is the opening between the vocal folds: the structure above the glottis. Related terms: epiglottic cartilage, vallecula, aryepiglottic fold.
See it in the app
Hidden behind the thyroid cartilage, the epiglottis hardly shows in front views. In the 3D anatomy app teamLabBody you can keep only the laryngeal cartilages and rotate them to see how high it stands and where it attaches, then add the hyoid and arytenoids to see the inlet in three dimensions. Cross sections are available with the PREMIUM plan.
FAQ
- Where is the epiglottis?
- Just behind the root of the tongue, in front of the entrance to the larynx. Its stalk attaches to the back of the thyroid cartilage and it reaches up behind the hyoid.
- What does the epiglottis do?
- During swallowing it tips back over the laryngeal inlet and guides food toward the oesophagus. Closure of the vocal and vestibular folds also helps seal the inlet.
- What is the difference between the epiglottis and the epiglottic cartilage?
- The epiglottic cartilage is the elastic cartilage core; the epiglottis is that core together with its mucosal covering.
Related articles
・Larynx: the laryngeal cartilages and vocal folds
・Thyroid cartilage: where the stalk attaches
・Thyroepiglottic ligament: joins the epiglottis to the thyroid cartilage
・Aryepiglottic muscle: narrows the inlet
・Quadrangular membrane: between the epiglottis and arytenoids
