Transverse Arytenoid

Larynx · Head & Neck

Transverse Arytenoid belongs to the Larynx group of the Head & Neck. It arises from Posterior surface and lateral border of one arytenoid cartilage and attaches to Corresponding parts of the opposite arytenoid cartilage. Functionally, it adducts the arytenoid cartilages, closing the posterior part of the rima glottidis. Innervation is provided by the Recurrent laryngeal nerve (vagus, CN X).

Origin, Insertion, Action & Nerve

Origin

Posterior surface and lateral border of one arytenoid cartilage

Insertion

Corresponding parts of the opposite arytenoid cartilage

Action

Adducts the arytenoid cartilages, closing the posterior part of the rima glottidis

Nerve

Recurrent laryngeal nerve (vagus, CN X)

Attachments explained

The Transverse Arytenoid is defined first by where it attaches. Its origin is the more fixed anchor, usually the proximal or more stable end that stays put during contraction, while its insertion is the more mobile point that is pulled toward the origin when the muscle shortens.

Origin

Posterior surface and lateral border of one arytenoid cartilage

Insertion

Corresponding parts of the opposite arytenoid cartilage

Action & function

When the Transverse Arytenoid contracts, it produces the following movement: Adducts the arytenoid cartilages, closing the posterior part of the rima glottidis.

As part of the Larynx group of the Head & Neck, it works alongside neighbouring muscles to generate smooth, coordinated movement and to stabilise the structures it acts on.

Nerve supply & clinical relevance

The Transverse Arytenoid receives its nerve supply from the Recurrent laryngeal nerve (vagus, CN X).

Because a muscle can only contract when its nerve is intact, injury to the Recurrent laryngeal nerve can weaken or paralyse the Transverse Arytenoid, impairing the movements it normally produces (adducts the arytenoid cartilages, closing the posterior part of the rima glottidis). This is why knowing the innervation is central to localising nerve lesions in clinical practice.

How to study the Transverse Arytenoid (the OIANS method)

OIANS stands for Origin, Insertion, Action and Nerve, the four facts that uniquely define every skeletal muscle. To learn the Transverse Arytenoid, work through them in order: picture its origin, trace the muscle to its insertion, reason out the action that shortening between those two points must create, then add the nerve that drives it.

Most students remember the Transverse Arytenoid fastest by linking its action back to its attachments rather than memorising each fact in isolation. Once the origin and insertion make sense, the action usually follows logically.