Stylohyoid muscle

Stylohyoid
The stylohyoid among the triangles of the neck.
Muscles of the neck. Anterior view. Stylohyoid muscle in purple
Latin	musculus stylohyoideus
Gray's	subject #112 392
Origin	styloid process (temporal)
Insertion	greater cornu of hyoid bone
Artery
Nerve	facial nerve (CN VII)
Actions	Elevate the hyoid during swallowing

The stylohyoid muscle is a slender muscle, lying anterior, and superior of the posterior belly of the digastric muscle. It shares this muscle's innervation by the facial nerve, and functions to draw the hyoid bone backwards and elevate the tongue.

Origin and insertion

It arises from the posterior and lateral surface of the styloid process of the temporal bone, near the base; and, passing inferior and anterior, is inserted into the body of the hyoid bone, at its junction with the greater cornu, and just superior the omohyoid muscle. It thus belongs to the group of suprahyoid muscles.

It is perforated, near its insertion, by the intermediate tendon of the digastric muscle.

Variations

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

Additional images

• 

  Left temporal bone. Outer surface.

• 

  Hyoid bone. Anterior surface. Enlarged.

• 

  Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck, showing the carotid and subclavian arteries.

• 

  Extrinsic muscles of the tongue. Left side.

See also

• Stylohyoid ligament

External links

• LUC styh
• 510328910 at GPnotebook
• SUNY Figs 34:02-04

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 As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.