#larynx

• Aphonia — Total or partial loss of voice, caused by diseases of the larynx, vocal cords, recurrent nerves, or psychological factors (such as a powerful emotional shock). In medical practice, the affected patient retains the ability to articulate words, but communication occurs exclusively through whispering.
• Ariteno- — A learned combining form or anatomical prefixoid extracted from Ancient Greek, where 'arytaina' means 'funnel' or 'ladle'. In modern medical terminology, it serves to form compound terms that refer exclusively to the arytenoid cartilages of the larynx, their associated muscles, or the vascular and nervous structures in the proximity of the vocal apparatus.
• Arytenoid — Each of the two small, paired, pyramid-shaped cartilages situated at the posterior part of the larynx, above the cricoid cartilage. As an adjective, it describes any structure (muscle, ligament, mucosa) associated with these cartilages. They play an absolutely critical physiological role in phonation and respiration by directly controlling the tension, position, opening, and closing of the vocal cords.