0 relating to the cricoid and the thyroid cartilages (= two of the nine cartilages in the larynx, the voice organ in the throat):
The cricothyroid muscle in voicing control.
It descends on the larynx, beneath the sternothyroid muscle, to supply the cricothyroid muscle.
The external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve innervates the cricothyroid muscle.
It functions to tense the vocal cords by activating the cricothyroid muscle, increasing pitch.
If the upper trachea is injured, an incision can be made in the trachea (tracheotomy) or the cricothyroid membrane (cricothyrotomy, or cricothyroidotomy) in order to ensure an open airway.
Improved voice training methods (which often produce better results than the surgery) and the inherent risks of vocal surgery have largely eliminated the demand for cricothyroid approximation.
