The hyoid bone is a U-shaped bone located in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and thyroid cartilage. It provides attachments for muscles of the floor of the mouth, tongue, larynx, epiglottis and pharynx. The hyoid bone consists of a central body and pairs of greater and lesser cornua. The body has anterior and posterior surfaces and upper and lower borders which provide attachments for muscles like the geniohyoid and mylohyoid. A fracture of the hyoid bone is indicative of throttling or strangulation in suspected murder cases.

1. The hyoid bone
Dr. Muhammad Mustafa
Lectrure Anatomy NCS University System (DHS) , Peshawar
DPT, KMU (IPMR), Peshawar
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3. • It is a u shaped bone
• Situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the
thyroid caartilage.
• At rest it lies at the level of the 3rd cervical vertebra behind and the base of
the mandible in front.
• It is kept in suspended postion by muscles and ligaments
• It provides attachment to the floor of the mouth and to the tongue above,
to the larynx below and the epiglottis and the phraynx behind
• It consists of central part called the body, and two pairs of cornua,greater
and lesser.

5. The body
• It has anterior and posterior surfaces ,and upper
and lower borders.
• The anterior surface is convex and is directed
forwards and upwards.it is often divided by a
median ridge into two halves.
• The posterior surface in concave and is directed
backwards and downwards.
• Each lateral end is continous posteriorly with the
greater horn or cornua.
• Till middle life this connection between the body
and greater cornua is fibrous.

6. The greater cornua
• These are flatenned from above
downwards.each cornua tapers posteriorly ,but
ends in a tubercle.
• it has two surfaces Upper and lower
• Two borders medial and lateral and a tubercle.

7. The lesser cornua
• These are small conical pieces of bone which
project upwards from the junction of the body
and greater cornua.
• The lesser cornua are connected to the body of
fibrous tissue .
• Occasionally they are connected to the greater
cornua by synovial joints which usually persist
throughout life but may get ankylosed

10. attachments
• Suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles
• Hypoglossus
• Thyrohyoid membrane

11. • Anterior surface provides insertion to the geniohyoid and mylohyoid
muscles
• Gives origin to a part of the hypoglossus which extends to greater cornua
• The upper border of body provides insertion to the lower fibres of the
genioglossi and attachment to the thyrohyoid membrane
• The lower border of the body provides attachment to the pretracheal fascia
.in front of the fascia ,the sternohyoid is inserted medially and the
omohyoid laterally
• Below the omohyoid there is the linear attachment of the
thyrohyoid,extedning back to the lower border of the greater cornua.
• The medial border of the greater cornua provides attachment to they
thyrohyoid membrane ,stylohyoid muscle and diagetric pulley
• The lateral border of the greater cornua provides insertion to the
thyrohyoid muscle anteriorly.the investing fascia is attached throughout
length.

16. Clinical anatomy
• In a suspected case of murder
,fracture of the hyoid bone strongly
indicates throtting and strangulation .