The hyoid bone is a single "U" shaped bone situated in the anterior part of the neck and at the root of the tongue between the lower jaw and the thyroid cartilage. It is located anteriorly at the base of the mandible, and posteriorly to it is the fourth cervical vertebra (C4).

The hyoid bone is the only bone in the human body that does not directly articulate with other bones.

It is attached to the skull with the help of ligaments, and it is held in its place mostly by these two muscle groups - the suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles. The suprahyoid muscles are located above the hyoid bone, while the infrahyoid - below. The hyoid bone is a convergence place for a bunch of muscles.

The main parts of the hyoid bone are the following:

The body of the hyoid is the central, quadrilateral-shaped, broad, and irregular segment of the bone located between the right and left horns. Its anterior surface is convex, while posterior - concave.

The greater and lesser horns of the hyoid are pair of two bony projections extending from each side of the hyoid bone in the posterolateral and posterosuperior directions. Both horns are attached to the body by fibrous tissue connections.

The greater horns are larger and longer than lesser ones, and they form the limbs of the letter "U" on either side of the body. They are wider proximal and become narrow distally. Horizontally greater horns are a bit flattened, and they have tuberculated endings.

The lesser horns are located at the junction site of the body and greater horns. The stylohyoid ligament is attached to the tip of the lesser horn.

The hyoid bone is anchored in the anterior triangle of the neck by the following muscles:

Besides the stylohyoid ligament, the thyrohyoid membrane and hyoepiglottic ligament are also attached to the hyoid bone.

The bone is attached to the cervical spine by the cervical fascia.

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Hyoid bone