Hyoepiglottic ligament

Hyoepiglottic ligament
Details
From	anterior surface of the epiglottis
To	upper border of the body of the hyoid bone
Identifiers
Latin	Ligamentum hyoepiglotticum
Anatomical terminology

The hyoepiglottic ligament is an elastic band connecting the anterior surface of the epiglottis to the upper border of the body of the hyoid bone. It is clinically important in performing direct laryngoscopy with a Macintosh laryngoscope blade; the blade tip is placed in the vallecula and moved anteriorly, which causes the hyoepiglottic ligament to pull the epiglottis anteriorly as well and thus expose the glottis.

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 1077 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)