Larynx
A tube-shaped organ in the neck that contains the vocal cords. The larynx is about 5 cm (2 in.) long. It is part of the respiratory system and is located between the pharynx and the trachea. Humans use the larynx to breathe, talk, and swallow. Its outer wall of cartilage forms the area of the front of the neck referred to as the Adam’s apple. The vocal cords, two bands of muscle, form a V inside the larynx. Each time a person inhales, air goes into the nose or mouth, then through the larynx, down the trachea, and into the lungs. When a person exhales, the air goes the other way. The vocal cords are relaxed during breathing, and air moves through the space between them without making any sound. The vocal cords tighten up and move closer together for speech. Air from the lungs is forced between them and makes them vibrate, producing the sound of a voice. The openings of the esophagus and the larynx are very close together in the throat. When a person swallows, a flap called the epiglottis moves down over the larynx to keep food out of the windpipe. Also known as voice box.
Read Also:
- Larynx transplant
A transplant of the larynx, or voicebox. This procedure permits a human-sounding voice with inflection, range, and qualities unique to the patient, and normal swallowing. The risks of the procedure include those of organ rejection and immunosuppression therapy.
- Laser
A powerful beam of light that is used in some types of surgery to cut or destroy tissue.
- Laser coagulation
The coagulation (clotting) of tissue using a laser. A coagulation laser produces light in the visible green wavelength that is selectively absorbed by hemoglobin, the pigment in red blood cells, in order to seal off bleeding blood vessels. There is also, for example, electrocoagulation and photocoagulation.
- Laser surgery
A type of surgery that uses the cutting power of a laser beam to make bloodless cuts in tissue or remove a surface lesion such as a skin tumor. There are a number of different types of lasers that differ in emitted light wavelengths and power ranges and in their ability to clot, cut, or […]
- Laser surgery, YAG
The use of a laser to punch a hole in the iris, in order to relieve increased pressure within the eye. Yag laser surgery is an outpatient procedure that may be used, for example, to treat acute angle-closure glaucoma.