The stylohyoid muscle is one of the
suprahyoid muscles
The suprahyoid muscles are four muscles located above the hyoid bone in the neck. They are the digastric, stylohyoid, geniohyoid, and mylohyoid muscles. They are all pharyngeal muscles, with the exception of the geniohyoid muscle. The digastr ...
.
Its originates from the styloid process of the
temporal bone
The temporal bone is a paired bone situated at the sides and base of the skull, lateral to the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex.
The temporal bones are overlaid by the sides of the head known as the temples where four of the cranial bone ...
; it inserts onto hyoid bone. It is innervated by a branch of 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 ta ...
. It acts draw the
hyoid bone
The hyoid-bone (lingual-bone or tongue-bone) () is a horseshoe-shaped bone situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the thyroid-cartilage. At rest, it lies between the base of the mandible and the third cervical verte ...
upwards and backwards.
Structure
The stylohyoid is a
slender muscle
Muscle is a soft tissue, one of the four basic types of animal tissue. There are three types of muscle tissue in vertebrates: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. Muscle tissue gives skeletal muscles the ability to muscle contra ...
.
It is directed inferoanteriorly from its origin towards its insertion.
It is perforated near its insertion by the intermediate
tendon
A tendon or sinew is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue, dense fibrous connective tissue that connects skeletal muscle, muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tensi ...
of the
digastric muscle
The digastric muscle (also digastricus) (named ''digastric'' as it has two 'bellies') is a bilaterally paired suprahyoid muscle located under the jaw. Its posterior belly is attached to the mastoid notch of temporal bone, and its anterior belly ...
.
Origin
The muscle arises from the posterior surface of the
temporal styloid process
The temporal styloid process is a slender bony process of the temporal bone extending downward and forward from the undersurface of the temporal bone just below the ear. The styloid process gives attachments to several muscles, and ligaments.
Str ...
; it arises near the base of the process. It arises by a small tendon of origin.
Insertion
The muscle inserts onto the
body of hyoid bone
The hyoid-bone (lingual-bone or tongue-bone) () is a horseshoe-shaped bone situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the thyroid-cartilage. At rest, it lies between the base of the mandible and the third cervical verte ...
at the junction of the body and
greater cornu
The hyoid-bone (lingual-bone or tongue-bone) () is a horseshoe-shaped bone situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the thyroid-cartilage. At rest, it lies between the base of the mandible and the third cervical verteb ...
.
It passes anterior to the intermediate tendon of the
digastric muscle
The digastric muscle (also digastricus) (named ''digastric'' as it has two 'bellies') is a bilaterally paired suprahyoid muscle located under the jaw. Its posterior belly is attached to the mastoid notch of temporal bone, and its anterior belly ...
and is inserted immediately superior to that of the superior belly of
omohyoid muscle
The omohyoid muscle is a muscle in the neck. It is one of the infrahyoid muscles. It consists of two bellies separated by an intermediate tendon. Its inferior belly is attached to the scapula; its superior belly is attached to the hyoid bone. Its ...
.
Vasculature
The stylohyoid muscle receives arterial supply branches of the
facial artery
The facial artery, formerly called the external maxillary artery, is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies blood to superficial structures of the medial regions of the face.
Structure
The facial artery arises in the carotid t ...
,
posterior auricular artery
The posterior auricular artery is a small artery that arises from the external carotid artery. It ascends along the side of the head. It supplies several muscles of the neck and several structures of the head.
Structure
Origin
The artery ar ...
, and
occipital artery
The occipital artery is a branch of the external carotid artery that provides arterial supply to the back of the scalp, sternocleidomastoid muscles, and deep muscles of the back and neck.
Structure
Origin
The occipital artery arises from (the ...
.
Innervation
The stylohyoid muscle receives motor innervation from the
stylohyoid branch of
facial nerve (CN VII).
Relations
The muscle is situated
antero Antero is a Finnish given name and the Spanish version of the Latin name Anterus. It may refer to:
* Antero Abreu (1927–2017), Angolan author and poet
* Antero Alli (1952–2023), Finnish astrologer
* Ántero Asto, Peruvian politician
* Antero de ...
superior
Superior may refer to:
*Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind
Places
* Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state
*Lak ...
to the posterior belly of the
digastric muscle
The digastric muscle (also digastricus) (named ''digastric'' as it has two 'bellies') is a bilaterally paired suprahyoid muscle located under the jaw. Its posterior belly is attached to the mastoid notch of temporal bone, and its anterior belly ...
.
Variation
It may be absent or doubled. It may be situated medial to the
carotid artery Carotid artery may refer to:
* Common carotid artery, often "carotids" or "carotid", an artery on each side of the neck which divides into the external carotid artery and internal carotid artery
* External carotid artery, an artery on each side of ...
. It may insert suprahyoid muscles of infrahyoid muscles.
Actions/movements
The stylohyoid muscle elevates and retracts the hyoid bone (i.e. draws it superiorly and posteriorly).
Function
The stylohyoid muscle elongates the floor of the mouth.
It initiates a swallowing.
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
See also
*
Stylohyoid ligament
References
External links
{{Authority control
Facial muscles
Suprahyoid muscles
Muscles of the head and neck
Otorhinolaryngology