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

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

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

References

External links

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