Bone: Body of hyoid bone
Hyoid bone. Anterior surface. Enlarged.
Latin	corpus ossis hyoidei
Gray's	subject #45 177

The body of hyoid bone or central part is of a quadrilateral form.

• Its anterior surface is convex and directed forward and upward.
  • It is crossed in its upper half by a well-marked transverse ridge with a slight downward convexity, and in many cases a vertical median ridge divides it into two lateral halves.
  • The portion of the vertical ridge above the transverse line is present in a majority of specimens, but the lower portion is evident only in rare cases.
  • The anterior surface gives insertion to the geniohyoid muscle in the greater part of its extent both above and below the transverse ridge; a portion of the origin of the hyoglossus notches the lateral margin of the geniohyoid attachment.
  • Below the transverse ridge the mylohyoid, sternohyoid, and omohyoid are inserted.

• The posterior surface is smooth, concave, directed backward and downward, and separated from the epiglottis by the hyothyroid membrane and a quantity of loose areolar tissue; a bursa intervenes between it and the hyothyroid membrane.

• The superior border is rounded, and gives attachment to the hyothyroid membrane and some aponeurotic fibers of the genioglossus.

• The inferior border affords insertion medially to the sternohyoid and laterally to the omohyoid and occasionally a portion of the thyrohyoid. It also gives attachment to the Levator glandulae thyreoideae, when this muscle is present.

• In early life the lateral borders are connected to the greater cornua by synchondroses; after middle life usually by bony union.

[edit] See also

• hyoid bone

[edit] External links

• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 25420.000-1
• lesson11 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (larynxskel1)

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This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.