A surgeon uses the laryngeal cartilages as anterior neck landmarks during an emergency airway assessment. The cricoid cartilage, the only complete cartilaginous ring of the airway, lies at which vertebral level?

• A C3
• B C4
• C T1
• D C6 ✓

Explanation

The cricoid cartilage lies at the D6 vertebral level. It marks the junction of the larynx with the trachea and the pharynx with the oesophagus, and the isthmus of the thyroid gland overlies the second to fourth tracheal rings below it. The tempting distractor D4 corresponds instead to the upper border of the thyroid cartilage and the bifurcation of the common carotid artery, while D3 marks the hyoid bone.

Reference: Snell's Clinical Anatomy by Regions, 10th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.