Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 10, 2025

Quantification of Orofacial Phenotypes in Xenopus
Published on: November 6, 2014
PECULIARITIES OF THE MORPHOMETRIC PARAMETERS OF SUPRAHYOID REGION OF THE HUMAN PREFETUSES
Olexandr V Tsyhykalo1, Nataliia B Kuzniak1, Pavlo P Perebyjnis1
1BUKOVINIAN STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, CHERNIVTSI, UKRAINE.
Insights
The 9-10th week of human prenatal development is a critical period for the suprahyoid region (SHR), marked by rapid growth and potential for defects. Understanding these morphometric changes aids in prenatal diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Human Anatomy
- Prenatal Diagnostics
Background:
- The suprahyoid region (SHR) is crucial for craniofacial development.
- Understanding its morphometric parameters during prenatal development is essential for identifying potential abnormalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the specific morphometric characteristics of the human suprahyoid region (SHR) during early prenatal development.
- To identify critical developmental periods within the SHR.
- To establish mathematical models for normal SHR organogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Study of 30 human prefetuses with parietococcygeal lengths from 14.0-80.0 mm (7-12 weeks of intrauterine development).
- Utilized a comprehensive suite of modern morphological research techniques.
- Analysis of key morphometric parameters including anterior angle, lateral length, width, and area of the SHR.
Main Results:
- The 9-10th week of intrauterine development (IUD) was identified as a critical period for SHR development, characterized by rapid growth and significant dimensional changes.
- Mathematical functions were derived to describe the normal growth dynamics of SHR morphometric parameters (lateral length, width, and area) throughout prenatal development.
- Specific age-dependent changes in the anterior angle of the SHR were detailed, showing fluctuations between the 9th and 12th weeks of IUD.
Conclusions:
- The 9-10th week of IUD represents a critical window for SHR development, with intensive growth potentially leading to structural variations or congenital defects.
- The established mathematical models provide a quantitative basis for prenatal diagnostics and monitoring of SHR development.
- The findings contribute to a better understanding of normal and abnormal development of the SHR and its impact on the dental-maxillary apparatus.
Objective:
The aim: To determine the peculiarities of the morphometric parameters of suprahyoid region of the human prefetuses.
Patients And Methods:
Materials and methods: Thirty specimens of human prefetuses of 14.0-80.0 mm parietococcygeal length (PCL) (7-12 weeks of IUD) were studied using a complex of modern methods of morphological research.
Results:
Results: On the basis of obtained digital indicators of the main morphometric parameters of human SHR in the dynamics of the prenatal period of IUD the critical periods of development of the region were clarified and mathematical functions that describe the normal course of organogenesis of SHR were created, which can be useful for creating diagnostic algorithms for the norm when carrying out prenatal diagnostics and monitoring the state of the fetus. It has been established that the 9-10th week of IUD is a critical period in the development of SHR, since during this time, intensive growth processes occur, which are manifested by a sharp change in the size of the organ, and this can lead to the appearance of variants of the structure and possible congenital defects of the SHR and the dental-maxillary apparatus in general.
Conclusion:
Conclusions: 1.Age-depended dynamics of changes in the anterior angle of the SHR shows an almost linear decrease in the angle by the end of the 9th week of IUD almost to 76°, after which it increases to almost 90° by the end of the 10th week. From the 11th week of the IUD, the anterior angle decreases again to 77 °, but begins to increase at the 12th week and by the end of the prefeal period. 2.The lateral length of SHR increases almost uniformly until the 9th week of IUD, during which its growth rate slows down. Starting from the end of the 10th week of IUD, this morphometric parameter begins to grow rapidly until the end of the prenatal period of ontogenesis. The growth rate of the lateral length of the SHR is described by the function: L lat = 1.1025 + 0.0015 x + 0.001 x2. 3.The width of the SHR from the 10th week of IUD begins to grow rapidly until the end of the prenatal period of development. The growth rate of the width of SHR is described by the function: W = 1.1025 + 0.0015 x + 0.001 x2. 4.Analysis of the age dynamics of the area of SHR demonstrates the exponential dependence on the age of the prefetuses, which is described by a mathematical function: A = 1,2452exp(0,0424x). Meanwhile, there is a slight slowdown in its growth rate at the 10th week of IUD with subsequent recovery of growth by the end of the prenatal period of ontogenesis. 5.The 9-10th week of IUD is a critical period in the development of SHR, since during this time, intensive growth processes occur, which are manifested by a sharp change in the size of the mandible.
Related Concept Videos
Muscles of the Anterior Neck
The Hyoid Bone
Muscles for Facial Expressions
Overview of the Skull
The cranial vault surrounds and protects the brain and houses the middle and inner ear structures. This cavity is bounded superiorly by the rounded top of the skull, which...
Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...
Muscles that Move the Head
The bilateral sternocleidomastoid, or SCM, and the suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles are significant head flexors. The SCM muscles originate at the sternum and clavicle and attach to the mastoid process of the temporal bone. The SCM contracts bilaterally to bend the head forward, whereas...

