Greater Horn Hyoid Origin — MFDS Part 1 MCQ

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HardAnatomy (Head & Neck)Greater Horn Hyoid OriginMFDS Part 1

In a human embryology specimen, the midline hyoid body anlage is present, but both primitive greater horns have failed to develop. Failure of cartilage from which pharyngeal arch best explains this finding?

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Correct answer: A — Third pharyngeal arch

The correct answer is A, the third pharyngeal arch. Human embryological evidence identifies the primitive greater horns of the hyoid as derivatives of third-arch cartilage. The second arch is the most plausible distractor because it is termed the hyoid arch and its Reichert cartilage contributes the lesser horns and stylohyoid complex, but not the greater horns. The first arch principally supplies more cranial mandibular derivatives, while the fourth and sixth arches contribute to more caudal pharyngeal and laryngeal structures. The midline body anlage is specified as intact because the traditional attribution of upper and lower portions of the hyoid body to the second and third arches has been questioned; that controversy does not alter the third-arch origin of the greater horns.

Reference: Rodríguez-Vázquez JF et al. Human fetal hyoid body origin revisited. Journal of Anatomy. 2011;219(2):143–149. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21599659/