Hyoid Bone 3D model

The model was generated by using computed tomography scans.

The hyoid (also called the lingual bone) is responsible for anchoring the tongue (thus another name - tongue-bone). It is one of the bones of the facial skull of the arcuate shape, situated in front of the neck, between mandible (lower jawbone) and third cervical vertebra (C3). The bone is formed from the 2nd and the 3rd pair of pharyngeal arches.

When one is born, the hyoid bone consists of a horseshoe body (corpus) and two pairs of horns (cornua) - large (cornua majora), directed towards the side and small (cornua minora), directed upwards. Later in adulthood, usually greater cornua usually fuses with corpus.

It is not attached to any other bone; it is the only free-floating bone in the human body, which makes it unique. The hyoid bone had low durability/mechanical properties, it is the easiest bone to break; however, it is well protected by muscles and ligaments, so the hyoid fracture is one of the rarest fractures in human body. Injuring the bone may lead to death by asphyxia.

Patient's description: male, age 29

The model was created for educational use, to help students, professors, and people interested in anatomy to deepen their knowledge about human body.