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Vocal ligament: anatomy, location and function

The elastic band forming the core of each vocal fold. Vibrates to produce voice and regulates pitch.

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Highlighted in the model: Vocal ligament. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Vocal ligament at a glance

What it is
The elastic band forming the core of each vocal fold.
Location
Runs from the thyroid angle to the vocal process of the arytenoid cartilage.
Function
Vibrates to produce voice and regulates pitch.
Body system
Respiratory · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA55246 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • It is the free upper edge of the conus elasticus.

Structures next to the vocal ligament

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Vocal ligament (FMA55246). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §22.1 Organs and Structures of the Respiratory System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.