Which cartilage of the larynx is the only one that forms a complete ring around the airway?
- A Thyroid cartilage
- B Epiglottic cartilage
- C Cricoid cartilage ✓
- D Arytenoid cartilage
Correct answer: C. Cricoid cartilage
Explanation
The cricoid cartilage is a signet-ring shaped hyaline cartilage, deep in front and shallow behind, and forms the only complete cartilaginous ring of the airway. The thyroid cartilage is open posteriorly, the epiglottis is a leaf-shaped elastic cartilage, and the paired arytenoids sit on the cricoid lamina without encircling anything. This completeness makes the cricoid the landmark for emergency cricothyrotomy above it and explains why circumferential subglottic oedema in children narrows the airway severely.
Reference: Gray's Anatomy for Students, 4th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.