Abstract
In the supraglottic horizontal laryngectomy, it is necessary not to injure the aryepiglottic muscle and the middle branch of superior laryngeal nerve to maintain the mechanism of deglutition. The aryepiglottic muscle is situated just beneath the mucous membrane at the inner surface and at one cm distance of the upper surface of the aryepiglottic fold. The superior laryngeal nerve is usually divided to the anterior, the middle and the posterior branch. The anterior branch is divided at the anterior part of the aryepiglottic fold 1.5 cm beneath the upper surface and innervates the epiglottis. The middle branch runs across the middle part of aryepiglottic fold at 5 mm distance of the upper surface toward the laryngeal vestibule. Both the aryepiglottic muscle and the superior laryngeal nerve may be preserved in ALONSO'S method ; in OGURA'S method to cases of expanded carcinoma, the considerable disturbance of swallowing seems to continue a few months after laryngectomy, because both bilateral aryepiglottic muscles and ventricular muscles may be removed and bilateral superior laryngeal nerves are in peril of injury.
The recurrent laryngeal nerve and the laryngeal arteries are situated between the thyroid cartilage and the inner laryngeal muscles. The laryngeal vein system is found in both inner and outer surfaces of the external thyroarytenoid muscle.
