Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Thyroid Cartilage”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Temporal and spatial localization of type I and II collagens in human thyroid cartilage.

Thyroid cartilages of various ages were investigated by immunofluorescence staining for localization of the fibrillar collagen types I and II in order to understand the tissue remodeling occurring during the mineralization and ossification of thyroid cartilage. In fetal and juvenile thyroid cartilages, type I collagen was restricted to the inner and outer perichondrium, while type II collagen was localized in the matrix of hyaline cartilage. However, in advanced ages, type I collagen was also localized in the pericellular and in the interterritorial matrix of intermediate and central chondrocytes of thyroid cartilage. The matrix of peripheral chondrocytes was negative for type I collagen. This suggest that some chondrocytes in thyroid cartilage undergo a differentiation to type I collagen-producing chondrocytes. At the beginning of ossification, bone-related type I collagen was chiefly detected in the central cartilage layer, but was never deposited first from the perichondrium in the direction to the subperichondrial cartilage. This observation confirmed previous findings showing that osteogenesis mainly follows an endochondral ossification pattern. Interterritorial matrix failed to react with the type II collagen antibody in men from the beginning of the third decade, and later still in women, even after treatment with hyaluronidase. These observations indicate that major matrix changes occur faster in male than in female thyroid cartilage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Stable internal fixation of fractures of the partially mineralized thyroid cartilage.

Thyroid cartilage fractures due to external blunt trauma have typically been thought to occur in patients over the age of 40. Lack of mineralization of the cartilage has been considered to be the protective mechanism. Our experience with laryngeal injuries has demonstrated that younger persons are indeed at risk for thyroid cartilage fractures, and that these injuries may be easily overlooked. Although these fractures do not lead to laryngeal stenosis if untreated, they may cause noticeable phonatory changes. Fixation of these fractures is difficult because of the usual soft character of the unmineralized cartilage, prompting us to adopt a wire-tube fixation technique. This technique has been uniformly successful in restoring the anatomic contour of the thyroid cartilage, and our results appear to justify open reduction of these moderately displaced or angulated thyroid cartilage fractures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

VEGF expression in adult permanent thyroid cartilage: implications for lack of cartilage ossification.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to play an important role during endochondral bone formation in hypertrophic cartilage remodeling, ossification, and angiogenesis, but it is not expressed in normal adult articular cartilage. Thyroid cartilage undergoes only partial ossification beginning at the age of about 20. Because it never completely ossifies, we investigated a possible role of VEGF and its receptors (VEGFRs) as well as the angiogenetic inhibitor endostatin in this permanent cartilage. In analysis of cartilage samples from all specimens evaluated, VEGF121 and VEGF165 were identified as the only VEGF splice forms expressed. In addition to VEGF, VEGFR-2 (kinase domain region/fetal liver kinase 1), but not VEGFR-1 (fms-like tyrosine kinase 1), was detectable by RT-PCR in cartilage. However, VEGFR-2 expression was only detectable up to the age of 19 years. Deposition of VEGF and VEGFR was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. VEGF concentrations measured by ELISA in thyroid cartilage increased with age in males but decreased in females. Endostatin concentrations measured by ELISA in thyroid cartilage were three times lower than in articular cartilage and showed no change with age, either in females or males. VEGF was immunostained within the intra- and pericellular matrices of some but not all chondrocytes. Thus, apart from its production in hypertrophic chondrocytes of growth plates, VEGF is also produced in single chondrocytes of thyroid cartilage. The data allow us to speculate that thyroid cartilage persists in an embryological state until it has reached its final size. After reaching its final size at the end of the second decade, VEGFR-2 is downregulated and ossification starts in the posterior part of the thyroid cartilage, proceeding ventrally. Both proteins, VEGF121 and VEGF165, should contribute to this process. VEGF concentration is high and changes in an age-related and sex-specific manner. Therefore, we postulate that VEGF is at least one of the key factors that is important for the lifelong ossification in thyroid cartilage.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Cartilage canals in human thyroid cartilage characterized by immunolocalization of collagen types I, II, pro-III, IV and X.

In this study the collagenous composition of cartilage canals in human thyroid cartilage, which are perichondral invaginations of blood vessels and connective tissue, and the surrounding cartilage matrix were investigated by immunolabelling with specific antibodies against type I, II, pro-III, IV and X collagen. During childhood and early adolescence no cartilage canals were detected in thyroid cartilage, and immunolabelling for type IV collagen was restricted to basal lamina components of blood vessels in the perichondrium. First immunolabelling for type IV collagen, belonging to blood vessels in cartilage canals, in both sexes was detected about the end of the second decade; it was localized in the dorsal part of the thyroid cartilage plate. At this time thyroid cartilage has already reached its final form and size. As revealed by von Kossa staining, vascularization preceded mineralization and ossification. In contrast to the male thyroid cartilage plate, no immunostaining for type IV collagen and no ossification was detected in the ventral half of female thyroid cartilage even in advanced age. The extracellular matrix of cells in cartilage canals showed positive immunostaining for collagen types I and pro-III as well as for collagen type II, indicating that the cells in the canal possess fibroblastic and chondrogenic properties. The extracellular matrix of hypertrophic chondrocytes adjacent to cartilage canals showed strong immunoreactivity for type X collagen. First mineralization was detected close to cartilage canals, suggesting that mineralization in human thyroid cartilage starts in the extracellular matrix adjacent to cartilage canals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Vascularization and cartilage mineralization of the thyroid cartilage of Munich minipigs and domestic pigs.

Thyroid cartilages of Munich minipigs and domestic pigs were investigated by polychrome sequential labeling, radiography, intravascular injections, histologic examination and scanning electron microscopy in order to gain further insight into the process of vascularization and cartilage mineralization. The relationship between vascularization and cartilage mineralization has only been studied in chondroepiphyses of long bones. Vessels branch off the perichondrial vascular network and enter parts of the thyroid cartilage with a large transverse diameter. Cartilage canals, which are perichondral invaginations, contain an arteriole, a venule, a capillary network and connective tissue. The capillaries form a glomerulus-like structure deep in the matrix of the cartilage. Neighbouring cartilage canals do not display any anastomoses. Cartilage mineralization occurs in large areas of the thyroid cartilage. It is only found in the interterritorial extracellular matrix. Mineralization of the cartilage is evident in areas supplied with cartilage canals as well as in non-supplied areas. Mineralized interterritorial matrix is composed of circular structures of different sizes fusing to form plaques. In scanning electron microscopy circular structures appear as globules. It is possible to visualize the dynamic process of cartilage mineralization with polychrome sequential labeling; it proceeds up to 4 microm per week. Distribution of cartilage canals reveals their nutritional role for the cartilage. According to investigations in chondroepiphyses, cartilage mineralization starts adjacent to the glomerular end of cartilage canals. In contrast, no correlation between cartilage vascularization and the beginning of cartilage mineralization of the thyroid cartilage of Munich minipigs and of domestic pigs has been found.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Gender-specific distribution of glycosaminoglycans during cartilage mineralization of human thyroid cartilage.

The role of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in the process of cartilage mineralization, especially in the hypertrophic zone of growth plates, is not yet fully understood. Human thyroid cartilage can serve as a model to observe matrix changes associated with cartilage mineralization because the processes follow a distinct route, progress very slowly and show sexual differences. Histochemical staining for low sulphated GAG (chondroitin-4- and -6-sulphates) was decreased in the interterritorial matrix of thyroid cartilage starting at the beginning of the fifth decade, but not in the pericellular or territorial matrix of chondrocytes. Because cartilage mineralization progressed in the interterritorial matrix it seems likely that a decreasing content of chondroitin-4- and -6-sulphates is involved in the mineralization process. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that immunostaining for chondroitin-4- and -6-sulphates was weaker in mineralized cartilage areas than in unmineralized areas, whereas there was no difference in staining for keratan sulphate. In all life decades, female thyroid cartilages contained more chondrocytes with a territorial rim of chondroitin-4- and -6-sulphates probably preventing cartilage mineralization compared with age-matched male specimens. Taken together, the characteristic distribution pattern of chondroitin-4- and -6-sulphates being more concentrated in female than in male thyroid cartilages provided evidence that these macromolecules decrease in cartilage mineralization.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Functional significance of arytenoid adduction with the suture attaching to cricoid cartilage versus to thyroid cartilage for unilateral paralytic dysphonia.

OBJECTIVE: In the treatment of unilateral paralytic dysphonia, traditional arytenoid adduction is designed to place suture through the muscular process of the arytenoid attaching anteriorly to the thyroid ala. In contrast with the suture direction of this technique, a new paramedian approach to arytenoid adduction anchors anteroinferiorly to the cricoid cartilage, mimicking the force action of the lateral cricoarytenoid muscle (the major adductor of the larynx). This study investigated the influence of these changes in suture direction on the vocal fold level as well as the vocal outcomes in these two techniques of arytenoid adduction. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective clinical series. METHODS: Thirty patients with unilateral paralytic dysphonia underwent medialization laryngoplasty with arytenoid adduction and strap muscle transposition. Under local anesthesia, the thyroid lamina on the involved side was paramedially separated. The inner perichondrium was carefully elevated away from the overlying thyroid cartilage, carrying the dissection posteriorly to the level of the superior and inferior cornua. The lamina was retracted laterally, the inner perichondrium was opened near the midpoint, and the lateral cricoarytenoid muscle identified. Tracing the muscle fibers posterosuperiorly, the muscular process of the arytenoid was identified. A 2-0 Prolene suture was placed through the muscular process and temporarily tied to the anterolateral aspect of the thyroid ala (AA-thyroid suture). Intraoperative acoustic and perceptual assessments were performed. After releasing the tie, the suture was anchored to the cricoid cartilage at the origin of the lateral cricoarytenoid muscle (AA-cricoid suture). Voice assessments were repeated, and the outcomes of the two tests were compared. The choice of the type of arytenoid adduction suture was made intraoperatively according to which condition provided better vocal performance. After securing the suture, a bipedicled strap muscle flap was transposed into the space between the lamina and inner perichondrium and the thyroid cartilages sutured back into place. RESULTS: The intraoperative acoustic and perceptual assessments revealed the vocal performance was significantly better with AA-cricoid suture than the AA-thyroid suture in this series. No major complications occurred in the study. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that arytenoid adduction with suture attachment along the longitudinal axis of the lateral cricoarytenoid muscle to the cricoid cartilage is more physiologic and effective than that attaching the suture to the thyroid ala. A paramedian approach to arytenoid adduction with or without strap muscle transposition is a safe and effective method for treatment of unilateral paralytic dysphonia.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Matrix vesicles mediate mineralization of human thyroid cartilage.

Mineralization and ossification of human thyroid cartilage first starts after the end of adolescence when the previously cartilaginous human skeleton has become ossified and the epiphyseal discs are in the process of closing. However, the mechanisms involved in mineralization and ossification of human thyroid cartilage are not well understood. Ultrastructural analysis of human thyroid cartilage revealed that mineralization started close to cartilage canals in a matrix containing gigantic collagen fibers (asbestoid fibers). Matrix vesicles were detected in mineralized areas and were often associated with needle-like crystals. For the first time we were able to isolate matrix vesicles from human thyroid cartilage by mild enzymatic digestions and ultracentrifugation. These particles were oval and varied in size; some were heavily calcified. They were enriched in alkaline phosphatase, calcium, and inorganic phosphate, suggesting that the particles contain Ca2+-Pi complexes. Immunoblot analysis of these vesicles revealed the presence of annexins II, V, and VI, membrane-associated, channel-forming proteins, which allow influx of Ca2+ into the vesicles and intralumenal crystal growth. In addition, the vesicles were associated with types II and X collagen, suggesting that this association not only anchors the vesicles to the extracellular matrix, but, as shown previously, also stimulates Ca2+ influx into these particles. In conclusion, matrix vesicles isolated from human thyroid cartilage contain all the components, enabling them to initiate and mediate the mineralization process in human thyroid cartilage.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Thyroid cartilage at the suprasternal notch with low situated thyroid gland.

The thyroid cartilage and thyroid gland forming a lump at the suprasternal notch is a surprising congenital anomaly which I believe has not been previously reported. A case with co-existent low hyoid bone, pharyngo-oesophageal junction and intrathoracic cricoid cartilage with no cervical trachea is presented. Its pathogenesis is suggested and its surgical importance is discussed.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1985

Laryngeal cyst of the thyroid cartilage.

Laryngeal cysts of thyroid cartilage origin are unusually rare. A patient had a degenerative cyst of the thyroid cartilage. This presented as a unilateral false cord swelling. Computed tomography helped to localize the lesion to the left thyroid ala. An external laryngeal approach was used for excisional biopsy, and this also proved to be curative. The cyst probably resulted from a traumatic episode 35 years earlier.

Cysts↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Significance and means by which laryngeal cancer invades thyroid cartilage.

Involvement of the thyroid cartilage attracts a high T rating in all systems of classification for carcinoma of the larynx. Evaluation of 145 patients with laryngeal cancer treated by total laryngectomy emphasizes the difficulties of preoperatively determining cartilage invasion. The operative specimen was serially sectioned and studied to determine the means by which ossified and nonossified thyroid cartilage is invaded by carcinoma. A minimum 5-year follow-up of these cases indicates the prognostic significance of such invasion.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

Androgen receptors and gender-specific distribution of alkaline phosphatase in human thyroid cartilage.

The degree of mineralization in human thyroid cartilage is gender specific. Until now, laryngeal tissue was tested for sexual hormone receptors by the use of radiolabelled hormones only without exact localization of the receptors. In this study immediately frozen cartilage specimens from seven male and one female patient who underwent laryngectomy were used for immunolocalization of sexual hormone receptors. Additionally, serum sexual hormone levels were measured by means of radioimmunoassay. Alkaline phosphatase was localized enzymohistochemically in another cohort of six male and four female cartilage specimens from laryngectomies and autopsies. Chondrocytes in thyroid cartilage from both sexes reacted with antibodies to the androgen receptor. The low serum testosterone levels, which varied between 1.5 and 3.9 ng/ml, did not correlate with insufficient mineralization of thyroid cartilage in men (r=0.363, P=0.432). Chondrocytes did not react with antibodies to the estrogen receptor alpha and the progesterone receptor in both sexes. Expression of alkaline phosphatase started about the middle of the second decade. Some chondrocytes near the mineralization front were positive for androgen receptor and alkaline phosphatase, other chondrocytes were negative for both. Our results suggest the involvement of androgen receptor positive chondrocytes in thyroid cartilage mineralization, probably by a testosterone-linked stimulation of alkaline phosphatase.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Multiple myeloma involving the thyroid cartilage: case report.

Multiple myeloma involving the thyroid cartilage is exceedingly rare. We describe a patient with progressive airway obstruction due to diffuse involvement of the thyroid cartilage with multiple myeloma. CT revealed a conglomerate of calcifications of the thyroid cartilage. Additional classic lytic lesions of multiple myeloma were subsequently found in the bones, without associated calcifications. Calcified matrix in multiple myeloma involving the thyroid cartilage should now be included as an additional manifestation of extraosseous multiple myeloma.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1995

[Morphologic studies of the beginning of vascularization and ossification in human thyroid cartilage].

In contrast to the cartilaginous preformed bones of the skeleton, ossification of human thyroid cartilage begins at the end of the second decade of life. The process continues until an advanced age and shows sex differences. An in-growth of blood vessels by cartilage canals is a prerequisite for ossification. The aim of the study was to investigate the temporal and spatial appearance of cartilage canals in thyroid cartilage. Extracellular matrices of cells in cartilage canals were characterized immunohistochemically. Corrosion casts indicated that the cricothyroid branch of the superior thyroid artery was involved in vascularization of the thyroid cartilage. The first cartilage canals were detectable at the end of puberty, always lying at certain distances to almost ossified areas of the thyroid cartilage. The extracellular matrix localized at the border of the cartilage canals reacted with antibodies against type I collagen and type III procollagen, as well as with antibodies against type II collagen. This finding suggests that these cells are intermediate between fibroblasts and chondrocytes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Immunolocalization of type X collagen before and after mineralization of human thyroid cartilage.

In this study the distribution of type X collagen in thyroid cartilages of various ages is described. Fetal and juvenile thyroid cartilage was negative for type X collagen, but showed a strong staining reaction for type II collagen. Type X collagen and calcium deposition were first detected in thyroid cartilage of 18-to 21-year-old adults. Type X collagen was restricted to large chondrocytes near or in mineralized cartilage, confirming the notion that type X collagen precedes mineralization. From these observations it was concluded that chondrocytes in thyroid cartilage undergo differentiation steps that are similar, but much slower, compared to cells in growth plate and sternal cartilage. Some type X collagen-positive areas also showed staining for type I collagen, suggesting that there is a further differentiation of chondrocytes to cells which are characterized by the simultaneous synthesis of type X and I collagen. However, a dedifferentiation process during aging of thyroid cartilage where cells switch from synthesis of type II to type I collagen cannot be excluded.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The type I thyroplasty window: implications of normal thyroid cartilage thickness.

This paper describes the dimensions and placement of a standardized Isshiki Type I thyroplasty window and the thickness of the thyroid cartilage at the window corners. In addition, the intraoperative optimal medialization of a series of windows is compared to these cartilage thickness measurements and these comparisons analyzed for their implications in surgical approach. Fifty-one Type I thyroplasty windows were fashioned on 42 larynges (cadaveric and surgical). Measurements were taken of the window sizes, depth of medialization (surgical cases), and thickness of the thyroid cartilage at the four corners of the rectangular window. Sexes were kept separate because of inherent size differences of male and female larynges. From these physical measurements it is found that: (1) the thyroid cartilage window is not uniform in thickness throughout; there is a gradation of thickness from anterior to posterior and from superior to inferior; (2) when comparing the average depth of medialization to the window cartilage thickness in a standardized Isshiki window, the average distance of window depression almost equals the thyroid cartilage thickness, whereas posteriorly there is slightly more distance between the external surface of the window cartilage and the internal surface of the surrounding thyroid cartilage. Implications of the varying thickness of the thyroid cartilage and its relationship to the average depth of medialization in a standardized Isshiki thyroplasty window are discussed.

Female↗
PubMed1997

[Significance of the circumferential involvement of the superior horn tip of the thyroid cartilage in pharyngo-laryngeal cancer].

UNLABELLED: The term "laryngopharyngeal carcinoma" indicates an advanced tumor involving both the supraglottic larynx and the pharynx in which the lesion origin may be difficult to assess. In 1981, Larsson et al. reported on the CT signs useful to distinguish the laryngeal/hypopharyngeal origin of advanced laryngopharyngeal carcinoma. We describe a new CT sign which may serve this purpose, namely the involvement of the thyroid cartilage superior horn tip. The thyroid cartilage superior horn, in fact, is involved early in the lesions originating in the pyriform sinus because of its close anatomic relationship with the posterolateral wall of the hypopharynx. MATERIALS AND METHODS. To assess the significance and specificity of this sign, we examined 15 patients with advanced laryngopharyngeal carcinoma with clinical, endoscopic and surgical evidence suggestive of tumors originating in the pyriform sinus. All CT examinations were performed with contiguous 4 mm slices before and after i.v. administration of iodinated contrast agents. Eighteen patients with surgically confirmed advanced supraglottic carcinoma were also examined. RESULTS: The thyroid cartilage superior horn tip was involved only in 3/18 supraglottic carcinoma patients; transcommissural infiltration of the larynx, involving both pyriform sinuses, was found in 2 of these cases and extensive invasion of the whole thyroid cartilage and of the cricoid ring in 1 case. CONCLUSIONS: The thyroid cartilage superior horn tip is a reliable sign of the pyriform sinus origin of advanced laryngopharyngeal cancer which is both sensitive (100%) and specific (83%). Moreover, this sign could play a major role because it represents, in most cases, the only and earliest sign of cartilage involvement. Finally, the encasement of the thyroid cartilage superior horn tip by abnormal tissue indicates tumor spread beyond the posterior pharyngeal wall. Therefore, these data can be very important for its early detection and useful for subsequent surgical planning.

Adult↗