Analysis of Hyoid Bone Using 3D Geometric Morphometrics: An Anatomical Study and Discussion of Potential Clinical Implications

Abstract

The aim of this study was to obtain a quantitative anatomical description of the hyoid bone using modern 3D reconstruction tools and to discuss potential applications of the knowledge in clinical practice. The study was conducted on 88 intact hyoid bones taken from cadavers during forensic autopsies (group 1) and on 92 bones from CT scan images of living adult subjects (group 2). Three-dimensional reconstructions were created from CT scan images using Amira 5.3.3® software. An anatomical and anthropological study of hyoid bones was carried out using metric and morphological analyses. Groups 1 and 2 were compared to evaluate the influence of muscle traction on hyoid bone shape. Characteristics of the hyoid bone were highly heterogeneous and were closely linked with the sex, height, and weight of the individuals. Length and width were significantly greater in men than in women (39.08 vs. 32.50 mm, p = 0.033 and 42.29 vs. 38.61 mm, p = 0.003), whereas the angle between the greater horns was larger in females (44.09 vs. 38.78, p = 0.007). There was a significant positive correlation between the height (Pearson coefficient correlation r = 0.533, p = 0.01) and weight (r = 0.497, p = 0.01) of subjects and the length of the hyoid bone. Significant metric differences were shown between group 1 and group 2. This very reproducible methodology is important because it may lead to clinical studies in, e.g., head and neck cancer or sleep apnea. Such studies are ongoing in our research program.

Evaluation of morphological changes in the adult skull with age and sex

“…3D geometric morphometric analysis of pseudo-landmarks is a powerful tool for analyzing surface data at a high resolution (Weaver et al 2014a,b). Many studies utilizing this type of analysis have been focused on evolutionary development of structures (Harvati, 2003;De Groote, 2011), as well as analysis of modern humans for clinical application (Fakhry et al 2013). More recently, Weaver et al (2014b) performed a 3D geometric morphometric analysis of the human rib cage from 339 subjects between the ages 0 and 100.…”

Maxillary sinus volume: new physiopathological data in fungal ball genesis? A retrospective study

“…None of the etiopathogenic hypothesis about fungal ball development can explain this female predominance. Paranasal sinus volume is smaller in women due to the smaller size of the skull and, more generally, of the skeleton . Our finding regarding the development of fungal ball in the smallest MS in the FB group may go some way to explaining the female preponderance of fungal ball.…”

“…The use of the morphometric approach, with its rigorous, repeatable and reproducible methodology using 3D‐reconstruction, is more objective than morphological descriptions of the bone by visual analogy …”

Morphometric Determination of Sex of Hyoid Bone

“…5,6 The hyoid is "free floating" in primates, but not in other mammals, particularly some (e.g., rodents) that are commonly used as animal models. 7 Almost the entire surface has a large number of muscles attached to it that move and support the tongue, larynx, and pharynx. This relationship with the major skeletal system appears to be an essential element that determines the morphology of the bone and probably its hardness, depending on specific functional demands.…”