External laryngeal nerve
Last revised by Travis Fahrenhorst-Jones ◉ on 20 Jul 2022
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Hacking C, Fahrenhorst-Jones T, External laryngeal nerve. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 04 Oct 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-71231
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rID:
71231
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Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Craig Hacking had no recorded disclosures.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosuresLast revised:
20 Jul 2022, Travis Fahrenhorst-Jones ◉
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Travis Fahrenhorst-Jones had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Travis Fahrenhorst-Jones's current disclosuresRevisions:
2 times, by 2 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures
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Sections:
The external laryngeal nerve is one of the two branches of the superior laryngeal nerve and supplies the cricothyroid muscle.
Summary
- origin: arises as the smaller of the two branches of the superior laryngeal nerve at the level of the greater cornu of the hyoid bone
-
course
- descends posterior to the superior thyroid artery
- pierces the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle at the level of the inferior thyroid tubercle to enter the cricothyroid muscle
-
branches and supply
- supplies the cricothyroid muscle (the only intrinsic muscle of the larynx not supplied by the recurrent laryngeal nerve)
- small branches to the pharyngeal plexus
- small branches to the inferior pharyngeal constrictor
References
- 1. Moore KL, Agur AMR, Dalley AF. Clinically oriented anatomy. LWW. ISBN:1451119453. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Last's anatomy, regional and applied. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN:044304662X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Susan Standring. Gray's Anatomy. ISBN: 9780702052309
- 4. Robert H. Whitaker, Neil R. Borley. Instant Anatomy. ISBN: 9780632054039
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