title: Anatomy of the cricothyroid articulation: differences between men and women.
abstract: A greater difficulty in exposing the arytenoid cartilage during rotation surgeries has been observed for men. The objective of the present study was to describe the position of the cricothyroid articulation and the distance between the right and left articulations, and to compare these findings between genders. The following measurements were obtained for 16 cadavers (9 men and 7 women): angulation of the cricothyroid articulation in the cricoid ring, dimensions of the thyroid articular surface of the cricoid cartilage, and distance between the cricothyroid and cricoarytenoid articulations. The cricothyroid articulation angle was narrower in men than in women (p = .04). The major diameter of the articular facet of the thyroid cartilage was wider in men (p = .001). The longer lamina of the thyroid cartilage, as well as the more posterior position of the cricothyroid articulation, in men might explain the greater difficulty in exposing the arytenoid cartilage during laryngeal framework surgeries observed for this group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of São Paulo School of Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Aragão
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ximenes Filho
authors.forename: Saramira Cardoso
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bohadana
authors.forename: Andréia Felix
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Perázzio
authors.forename: Domingos Hiroshi
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Luiz Ubirajara
authors.initials: LU
authors.lastname: Sennes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002102:Cadaver; D003413:Cricoid Cartilage / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013957:Thyroid Cartilage / Q000033:anatomy & histology*