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# Thyrohyoid membrane

The thyrohyoid membrane is a sheet joining the thyroid cartilage to the hyoid bone in the upper neck, from which the larynx hangs.

Official name: Median thyrohyoid ligament

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## What it is

A sheet joining the thyroid cartilage to the hyoid.

## What it does

Hangs the larynx from the hyoid.

## Key points

- Where the internal laryngeal nerve goes through it, below the greater horn of the hyoid bone, it can be blocked to numb the larynx above the [vocal folds](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/vocal-fold/) for awake airway procedures
- Thick midline part is the median thyrohyoid ligament; its back edges thicken as the lateral thyrohyoid ligaments, which often hold a small cartilago triticea
- External laryngocele: a dilated laryngeal saccule pushes out through the membrane where the nerve and vessels pierce it

## Key facts

**Attaches**
Upper border of the thyroid cartilage to the hyoid

**Function**
Suspends the larynx; pierced by the internal laryngeal nerve and superior laryngeal artery

## Relations

**Above**
[Hyoid bone](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/hyoid-bone/), attached to the upper edge of the back of its body, with a bursa between the membrane and the hyoid body

**Superficial**
[Thyrohyoid](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/thyrohyoid-muscle/), [sternohyoid](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/sternohyoid-muscle/) and the superior belly of the [omohyoid](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/omohyoid-muscle/)

**Deep**
Pre-epiglottic space and the [epiglottis](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/epiglottis/); further out, the pyriform recesses

**Below**
Upper border of the [thyroid cartilage](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/thyroid-cartilage/) and its superior horns

## How to find it

The soft gap between the hyoid bone and the upper border of the thyroid cartilage is felt above the thyroid notch; it rises with the larynx on swallowing.

## On imaging

CT shows a laryngocele as an air- or fluid-filled sac in the paraglottic space; an external one passes through the thyrohyoid membrane into the neck. A calcified cartilago triticea can look like a foreign body or calcified plaque on a radiograph.

## Clinical notes

- A laryngocele bulges in the neck on coughing or straining, classically in wind instrument players and glassblowers; it can become infected (laryngopyocele)
- Supraglottic cancer that reaches the pre-epiglottic space lies just behind the membrane
- In supraglottic laryngectomy the internal laryngeal nerve is kept where it pierces the membrane, because sensation in the remaining larynx helps protect against aspiration

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Which nerve pierces the thyrohyoid membrane, and why is this site useful?

The internal laryngeal nerve, below the greater horn of the hyoid; it can be blocked there to numb the larynx above the vocal folds for awake airway procedures.

## What is an external laryngocele?

A dilated laryngeal saccule that pushes out through the thyrohyoid membrane where the nerve and vessels pierce it; it bulges on coughing or straining.

## What do the thickened parts of the thyrohyoid membrane form?

The median thyrohyoid ligament in the midline and the lateral thyrohyoid ligaments at the back edges, which often hold a small cartilago triticea.

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

## Its names

**Official Latin (TA2)**
ligamentum thyreohyoideum medianum TA2 1652

**Official Spanish (DeCS)**
Membrana tirohioidea

**English (TA2)**
Median thyrohyoid ligament

**Also called**
ligamentum hyothyreoideum medium

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [Anatomy, Head and Neck, Thyrohyoid Membrane](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532995/).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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