Espiral AtlasStylohyoid ligament
ligamentum stylohyoideum
Study entry
Classification
Ligament that suspends the hyoid from the skull (not a synovial joint).
Surfaces
From the tip of the styloid process of the temporal bone to the lesser horn of the hyoid.
Capsule
A fibrous cord, one on each side. It passes, with the stylopharyngeus muscle and the glossopharyngeal nerve, through the gap between the superior and middle constrictors of the pharynx.
Movements
It suspends the hyoid on both sides.
Blood supply
Not applicable.
Innervation
Not applicable.
Clinical
Ossification of the ligament, or a long styloid process, causes Eagle syndrome: pain in the throat and jaw and, sometimes, compression of the hypoglossal nerve on turning the head.
Source: cap. 9, «Faringe» (fig. 9-48); cap. 9, cuadro clínico do nervo hipoglosso (síndrome de Eagle)