Larynx surgery. Historical artwork of the techniques used in laryngotomy, surgery on the larynx (voicebox). The skin (pink) and fat (yellow) layers have been cut open down the midline of the throat, followed by dissection of the thyrohyoid membrane, the thyroid cartilage, the cricothyroid membrane, and the cricoid cartilage (white bands). Here, the lateral halves of the thyroid cartilage are being held apart by surgical tools. This has exposed the interior of the larynx, the arytenoid cartilages, the ventricular bands, and the vocal cords. Emergency surgery is sometimes performed in this region if a patient's upper airway becomes blocked. Artwork from Atlas and Epitome of Operative Surgery (1898, Otto Zuckerkandl).