The stylohyoid muscle is a slender muscle, lying anterior and superior of the posterior belly of the

digastric muscle The digastric muscle (also digastricus) (named ''digastric'' as it has two 'bellies') is a small muscle located under the jaw. The term "digastric muscle" refers to this specific muscle. However, other muscles that have two separate muscle belli ...

. It is one of the suprahyoid muscles. It shares this muscle's innervation by the

facial nerve The facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve, cranial nerve VII, or simply CN VII, is a cranial nerve that emerges from the pons of the brainstem, controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of taste ...

, and functions to draw the hyoid bone backwards and elevate the

tongue The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for mastication and swallowing as part of the digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper surface (dorsum) is covered by taste ...

. Its origin is the styloid process of the

temporal bone The temporal bones are situated at the sides and base of the skull, and lateral to the temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex. The temporal bones are overlaid by the sides of the head known as the temples, and house the structures of the ears. ...

. It inserts on the body of the hyoid.

Structure

The stylohyoid muscle originates from the posterior and lateral surface of the styloid process of the

, near the base. Passing inferior and anterior, it inserts into the body of the hyoid bone, at its junction with the greater cornu, and just superior to the omohyoid muscle. It belongs to the group of suprahyoid muscles. It is perforated, near its insertion, by the intermediate

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

of the

. The stylohyoid muscle has vascular supply from the

lingual artery The lingual artery arises from the external carotid artery between the superior thyroid artery and facial artery. It can be located easily in the tongue. Structure The lingual artery first branches off from the external carotid artery. It runs ...

, a branch of the external carotid artery.

Nerve supply

A branch of the

(CN VII) innervates the stylohyoid muscle.

Variation

It may be absent or doubled, lie beneath the carotid artery, or be inserted into the omohyoid, or mylohyoid muscles.

Function

The stylohyoid muscle elevates and retracts hyoid bone. It initiates a swallowing action by pulling the hyoid bone in a posterior and superior direction.

Additional images

File:Gray137.png, Left temporal bone. Outer surface. File:Gray186.png, Hyoid bone. Anterior surface. Enlarged. File:Gray507.png, Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck, showing the carotid and subclavian arteries. File:Stylohyoideus.png, Extrinsic muscles of the tongue. Left side. File:Slide6aaa.JPG, Stylohyoid muscle File:Slide18aaa.JPG, Stylohyoid muscle

References

External links

{{Authority control Facial muscles Suprahyoid muscles Muscles of the head and neck