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Hyo-epiglottic ligament: anatomy, location and function

The hyo-epiglottic ligament is a band connecting the epiglottis to the hyoid bone. It anchors the epiglottis to the hyoid.

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Highlighted in the model: Hyo-epiglottic ligament. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Hyo-epiglottic ligament at a glance

What it is
The hyo-epiglottic ligament is a band connecting the epiglottis to the hyoid bone.
Location
It runs from the anterior surface of the epiglottis to the upper border of the hyoid bone.
Function
It anchors the epiglottis to the hyoid.
Body system
Respiratory · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA55227 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • It forms the floor of the two valleculae, the pockets between the tongue and epiglottis.
  • It separates the valleculae above from the pre-epiglottic fat space below.

Structures next to the hyo-epiglottic ligament

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Hyo-epiglottic ligament (FMA55227). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §22.1 Organs and Structures of the Respiratory System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.