Elastic fiber system in the vocal ligament of the Wistar rat
Suzuki, K.; Ferraz de Carvalho, C.A.; König, B.
Zeitschrift für Mikroskopisch-Anatomische Forschung 102(1): 134-142
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0044-3107 PMID: 3388945 Document Number: 317380
Examination of the vocal ligament in 10, 60 and 365 day old Wistar rats reveals the presence of elastic, elaunin and oxytalan fibers. The thick elastic fibers form two anteroposterior bundles, medial and lateral, affixing to the perichondrium of the thyroid and arytenoid cartilages by means of elaunin and oxytalan fibers. The elastic fibers are thickest. Elaunin fibers are thinner and tortuous in course. The finest fibers are of the oxytalan type. A network of these three types of fibers can be observed among the elastic fiber bundles. The oxytalan fibers exist the medial and lateral bundles of elastic fibers, eventually reaching the epithelium of the vocal fold and vocal muscle respectively. Differences in the distribution of the three types of fibers were found in the stages examined. Oxytalan fibers were found to predominate in very young (10 day old) rats. In contrast, elastic fibers were found to predominate in one year old rats. The three types of fibers were present in approximately equal amounts in the 60 day old rats.