Stylohyoid (Left) (Musculus stylohyoideus)
Educational content only — not medical advice.
Anatomy
The stylohyoid is a slender, cylindrical suprahyoid muscle of the neck running parallel and anterosuperior to the posterior belly of the digastric. Arising from the styloid process of the temporal bone, it descends to insert into the junction of the hyoid body and greater horn, where its tendon is perforated by the intermediate digastric tendon. It elevates and retracts the hyoid.
Origin & insertion
From the posterior surface of the styloid process of the temporal bone near its base to the body of the hyoid bone at its junction with the greater horn.
Action
Elevates and retracts the hyoid bone, pulling the tongue base and laryngeal skeleton upward during swallowing.
Innervation
Stylohyoid branch of the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII).
Clinical notes
In Eagle syndrome, an elongated styloid process or calcification of the stylohyoid ligament compresses adjacent structures, producing throat foreign-body sensation, odynophagia, and radiating ear pain.
Related structures
Educational references
FAQ
What is the role of the Stylohyoid (Left)?
The stylohyoid is a slender, cylindrical suprahyoid muscle of the neck running parallel and anterosuperior to the posterior belly of the digastric. Arising from the styloid process of the temporal bone, it descends to insert into the junction of the hyoid body and greater horn, where its tendon is perforated by the intermediate digastric tendon. It elevates and retracts the hyoid.
Why is the Stylohyoid (Left) clinically important?
In Eagle syndrome, an elongated styloid process or calcification of the stylohyoid ligament compresses adjacent structures, producing throat foreign-body sensation, odynophagia, and radiating ear pain.
Source & license
BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). license details