Cricoid Cartilage Definition

Cricoid cartilage is made entirely of hyaline cartilage, with the extracellular matrix containing type II collagen and chondroitin sulphate. Because of its smooth, glass-like surface, this form of cartilage is long-lasting and has low friction. A perichondrial membrane surrounds cricoid cartilage.

Cricoid cartilage grows in a pattern of circumferential (cell proliferation) and interstitial (extracellular matrix formation) development, although this is a delayed process since it is a cartilaginous tissue with no direct blood supply.

Cricoid cartilage, like other cartilage, is aneural and avascular. The density of blood vessels in its immediate proximity, on the other hand, supplies nutrients and oxygen to the perichondrium, which eventually diffuse into the cartilage tissue. The larynx, as well as the muscles connected to the cricoid cartilage, are considerably innervated, despite the fact that cartilage tissue contains no nerves.

When an endotracheal tube is needed in an adult patient under general anesthesia, the narrowest portion of the trachea through which the tube may be passed is between the vocal chords. In older children and adults, the trachea maintains a consistent diameter throughout its length. The trachea is funnel-shaped in newborns and really quite young children, with the narrowest part being the cricoid cartilage itself, rather than just the voice chords.

The relative narrowness of the portion of the trachea enclosed by the cricoid cartilage makes tube insertion more difficult in a young kid. At the highest of the screen, notice the relaxed epiglottis.

Osteoarthritis can affect the cricoarytenoid and cricothyroid joints, very similar to the other joint. This causes cartilage tissue to crack or fissure, loosening of collagen structures, and therefore the loss of proteoglycans. Degeneration of the cricoid cartilage causes voice quality to deteriorate and pitch to shift.