Vasculature of the Anterior Commissure

Abstract

Results of a study of the vasculature of the anterior commissure, part of a larger study of the larynx, are presented. The vasculature of the anterior commissure is dependent on the medial branch of the anteroinferior laryngeal artery. The techniques used, postmortem angiography, dissection, cleared method, microangiography and histological sections, made it possible to follow the course of the artery and determine its configuration. The results reveal separation of the supraglottis and the glottis between the thyroepiglottic ligament and the anterior commissure; the study also establishes that a separation does not exist between the glottis and the subglottis in the anterior larynx. Particular emphasis is placed on ossification of the thyroid cartilage and the relationship between the vascular network of the glottic and subglottic mucosa and the tissues immediately in front of the larynx.