A Superior View of the Posterior Cricoarytenoid Muscle of a Male

Description

Viewed from a superior perspective into the laryngeal inlet, the posterior cricoarytenoid muscles lie on the posterior lamina of the cricoid cartilage and course superolaterally to their insertions on the muscular processes of the arytenoid cartilages. Each belly sits posterior to the cricoarytenoid joint, with the paired arytenoids positioned superior to the cricoid and flanking the posterior aspect of the rima glottidis. The posterior midline is defined by the cricoid lamina, while the muscles diverge laterally toward the arytenoids. Function reads cleanly in this orientation. As the sole abductor of the vocal folds, the posterior cricoarytenoid is the muscle that must work when the airway needs to open, rotating the arytenoid cartilages laterally to widen the rima glottidis during inspiration. This view maps directly onto clinical problems of airway compromise, including bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, where loss of posterior cricoarytenoid activity can fix the vocal folds in a paramedian position and produce inspiratory stridor. It also supports surgical teaching around arytenoidectomy, posterior cordotomy, and endotracheal intubation mechanics by clarifying where abductor force is applied relative to the cricoarytenoid joint. Otolaryngology and speech science programs use this angle to teach laryngeal muscle actions alongside intrinsic laryngeal innervation, and it fits well in atlases covering respiration and phonation, cricoarytenoid joint biomechanics, and vocal fold mobility assessment. Clinical educators can pair it with laryngoscopy findings to explain abductory failure and posterior glottic airway procedures in adult male anatomy. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.