Morphometry of the thyroid cartilage, epiglottis and piriform sinus: An anatomical study

Abstract

Background The larynx is a complex organ for voice production, and respiration consists of a series of cartilages, membranes, muscles, and joints with a considerable range of flexibility and mobility. Understanding the laryngeal framework is important for various professionals, including phoneticians, speech therapists, oncologists, and oto-rhino-laryngologists. The goal was to measure the piriform sinus, epiglottis, and thyroid cartilage in our sample population. Methods This study included 22 adult embalmed cadavers available in the Department of Anatomy. Dimensions were measured using a digital Vernier caliper. Results The mean height of the thyroid laminae was 27 ± 1.4 mm at the right side and 25.5 ± 1.4 mm at the left side. Mean width of the thyroid lamina was 27.1 ± 1.3 mm at the right side and 27.4 ± 0.9 mm at the left side. The mean thickness of thyroid cartilage was found to be 4.4 ± 0.4 mm and 3.9 ± 0.5 mm over the right and left sides. The mean length, width and thickness of the epiglottis were 29.1 ± 0.5 mm, 22.2 ± 0.6 mm and 2.6 ± 0.3 mm correspondingly. The height, width and thickness of the right piriform sinus were 25 ± 0.5 mm, 14.2 ± 0.5 mm and 12.6 ± 0.5 mm, the same parameters were 25.3 ± 1.3 mm, 15.1 ± 0.7 mm and 13.3 ± 0.4 mm for the left side. Conclusions The morphometric data reported in this study are enlightening for clinicians involved in laryngeal and endoscopic procedures. Some of the parameters showed statistically significant differences between the right and left sides (p<0.05). However, the limitation is that the smaller sampler size being studied in this anatomical research, and the data will only be accurate with a larger sample size.