Lesson 2 Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is the hyoid bone?
A mobile, U-shaped piece of bone located in the anterior part of the neck, between the tongue above and the larynx below at the level of C3
It does not articulate with any bone and serves as an attachment point for numerous muscles.
How can the hyoid bone be palpated?
It can be felt in the front of the neck about 2 cm above the laryngeal prominence
This palpation is useful for clinical assessments.
What is the function of the muscles attached to the hyoid bone?
They stabilize the hyoid bone
These muscles connect it to structures like the mandible and thyroid cartilage.
What is the stylohyoid ligament?
It connects the styloid process to the lesser horn of the hyoid
This ligament plays a role in the stability of the hyoid bone.
What movements does the hyoid bone perform?
Moves up and down with the tongue during swallowing
This movement is crucial for the swallowing process.
What type of ossification occurs in the hyoid bone?
Endochondral ossification
Most of its ossification centers appear just prior to birth.
What are the main parts of the hyoid bone?
A body, a pair of greater horns, and a pair of lesser horns
Each part plays a distinct role in the structure and function of the hyoid bone.
Describe the body of the hyoid bone.
Elongated and quadrilateral, with a convex anterior surface and a concave posterior one
It connects to the greater horns by cartilage in early life, but by bone in adults.
How does the ossification of the body of the hyoid bone occur?
By endochondral mode, from two centers which appear just before or after birth
This ossification process is essential for the bone’s development.
What are the greater horns of the hyoid bone?
Each is a long process directed posterolaterally from the body of the hyoid; they ascend slightly as they do so
They are connected to the body of the hyoid by bone after middle age.
When do the ossification centers for the greater horns appear?
From two centers that usually arise late in fetal life
This timing is important for understanding the development of the hyoid bone.
What are the lesser horns of the hyoid bone?
A pair of conical projections located at the junction of the greater horns and body of hyoid
They are directed upwards and backwards towards the temporal styloid process.
How are the lesser horns connected to the body of the hyoid?
By fibrous tissue and to the greater horn by occasional synovial joints
These connections can be ankylosed.
What is the stylohyoid ligament’s role concerning the lesser horns?
It connects each lesser horn to the styloid process of the temporal bone
This connection is crucial for maintaining the positioning of the hyoid bone.
When does ossification of the lesser horns begin?
Around puberty
They may be partially or wholly cartilaginous in adults.
