Temporal styloid process

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Bone: Styloid process (temporal)
Left temporal bone. Outer surface. (Styloid process visible at center bottom.)
External and middle ear, opened from the front. Right side. (Label for styloid process is bottom center.)
Latin	processus styloideus ossis temporalis
Gray's	subject #34 145
Dorlands / Elsevier	p_34/12667662

The styloid process is pointed piece of bone that extends down from the human skull, just below the ear.

Structure

The styloid process is a slender pointed piece of bone just below the ear. It projects down and forward from the inferior surface of the temporal bone, and serves as an anchor point for several muscles associated with the tongue and larynx.

• Its proximal part (tympanohyal) is ensheathed by the vaginal process of the tympanic portion.
• Its distal part (stylohyal) gives attachment to the following:
  • stylohyoid ligament
  • stylomandibular ligament
  • styloglossus muscle
  • stylohyoid muscle
  • stylopharyngeus muscle.

The stylohyoid ligament extends from the apex of the process to the lesser cornu of the hyoid bone, and in some instances is partially, in others completely, ossified.

Development

The styloid process arises from endochondral ossification of the cartilage from the second branchial arch.

Additional images

Base of skull. Inferior surface.	Left infratemporal fossa.	Articulation of the mandible. Medial aspect.	Auditory tube, laid open by a cut in its long axis.
Extrinsic muscles of the tongue. Left side.	Dissection of the muscles of the palate from behind.

External links

• SUNY Labs 22:os-0407
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 25420.000-1
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34257.000-1

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant. Template:Skull

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