Transverse Arytenoid Muscle, Gross Anatomy

Description

Positioned on the posterior aspect of the larynx, the transverse arytenoid (interarytenoid) muscle spans horizontally between the medial surfaces of the paired arytenoid cartilages, bridging the interarytenoid space just superior to the cricoid lamina. Laterally, the arytenoid bodies sit against the posterior rim of the cricoarytenoid joints, while the vocal folds lie anterior and inferior, projecting from the vocal processes toward the thyroid cartilage. The thyroid cartilage forms the anterolateral shield, with the cricoid cartilage inferiorly completing the ring at the laryngeal base. This posterior laryngeal view matters because the transverse arytenoid is the only unpaired intrinsic laryngeal muscle and a primary adductor of the posterior glottis, drawing the arytenoid cartilages toward the midline to close the intercartilaginous portion of the rima glottidis. In unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, incomplete posterior glottic closure contributes to breathy dysphonia and aspiration, and clinicians often describe the resulting posterior glottic gap in exactly these terms. It is also the muscle surgeons and laryngologists think about when evaluating posterior glottic stenosis or scarring that limits arytenoid approximation. Use this illustration in head and neck anatomy teaching on intrinsic laryngeal muscles, in otolaryngology texts explaining phonation mechanics and posterior glottic closure, or in clinical education materials for flexible laryngoscopy findings and recurrent laryngeal nerve injury patterns in adult males. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.