The hyoid is the only bone in the body that does not articulate with any other bone, suspended by muscles and ligaments in the anterior neck between the mandible and larynx, serving as the attachment point for tongue and laryngeal muscles.
| Articulations |
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|---|---|
| Landmarks |
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| Ossification | Endochondral ossification from 6 centres. Greater cornua fuse to the body in middle age, leaving a cartilaginous connection that can mimic fracture. |
The only bone with no bony articulations, suspended by muscles and ligaments. Hyoid fractures from strangulation occur in 20 to 40 percent of homicidal asphyxia cases and are diagnosed on CT. Age-related fusion of the greater cornu to the body begins in middle age and can be confused with fracture on CT in older adults.
With the person's head slightly bent forward to relax the neck, place your thumb and index finger on either side of the throat in the angle between the floor of the mouth and the front of the neck, at about the level of C3. The hyoid is the small horseshoe of bone just above the thyroid cartilage; it can be moved gently side to side and rises when the person swallows.
Fracture of the hyoid, usually at the greater horns, is rare in accidental trauma and is classically associated with manual strangulation; it causes painful swallowing and neck tenderness.
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