The styloglossus is the shortest and smallest of the three styloid muscles, arising from the front of the styloid process and the upper stylohyoid ligament and running down to the side of the tongue, where it interdigitates with hyoglossus. It retracts the tongue and curls its sides upward to form a trough during swallowing, guiding the bolus backward. With stylohyoid and stylopharyngeus it makes up the muscles of the styloid apparatus, and it is supplied by the hypoglossal nerve.
| Origin | Anterior and lateral surfaces of the styloid process of the temporal bone |
|---|---|
| Insertion | Side of the tongue, interdigitating with the hyoglossus along the lateral tongue border |
| Nerve Supply | Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) |
| Blood Supply | Lingual artery |
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The trough shape created by styloglossus contraction guides liquid and semi-solid food from the anterior oral cavity toward the oropharynx during swallowing, acting as a physical channel for the bolus.
An elongated styloid process or calcified stylohyoid ligament (Eagle syndrome) can irritate the styloglossus region and the glossopharyngeal nerve, producing persistent throat pain, foreign body sensation and painful swallowing reproduced by palpation of the tonsillar fossa; styloidectomy relieves resistant symptoms. The styloid muscles and their fascia separate the prestyloid and poststyloid compartments of the parapharyngeal space, a key landmark in parapharyngeal tumour surgery. Hypoglossal nerve injury, for example during carotid endarterectomy, paralyses styloglossus with the other tongue muscles, and the tongue deviates toward the paralysed side on protrusion.
Not accessible to external palpation. Assessed functionally through tongue retraction and lateral tongue cupping during swallowing evaluation.
Styloid process elongation impinging the styloglossus and CN IX, producing persistent unilateral throat pain and foreign body sensation managed with styloidectomy when conservative treatment fails.
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