Yukitaka Kani; Marcelo Gómez; Marcelo Mieres; Bárbara Pérez & Juan Claudio Gutiérrez

The hyoid apparatus is a group of osteochondral structures located at the base of the skull that supports the root of the tongue and provides a flexible suspensory function to the larynx, stabilizing respiration, mastication, and swallowing. The aim of this study was to describe and compare the morphological and morphometrical characteristics of the normal hyoid apparatus in dogs with different skull conformations using computed tomography (CT). Records of 58 CT head dog studies were analyzed retrospectively. Several measurements (length dimensions and angles) of the hyoid bone components were obtained from three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions created from the CT images using the OsiriX software package. A significant difference was observed in the measured angles for the brachycephalic and non-brachycephalic groups (p<0.05), but not for the hyoid bone length dimensions. In brachycephalic skulls, the angle formed between the stylohyoid and epihyoid bone was larger, and the ceratohyoid-thyrohyoid angle was smaller than that of the non-brachycephalic groups, resulting in a short-straighter form. Evaluation of the hyoid bone on 3D CT images indicated morphometric variations in dogs with differing skull conformations.

KEY WORDS: Dog; CT volume rendering; Hyoid bone; Morphometric; Skull conformation.

KANI, Y.; GÓMEZ, M.; MIERES, M.; PÉREZ, B. & GUTIÉRREZ, J. C. Comparative morphometric study of the hyoid apparatus between brachycephalic and non-brachycephalic dogs using 3D-CT volume rendering. Int. J. Morphol., 44(2):443-450, 2026.