The hyoid bone syndrome.

Various causes of head and neck pain have been described in the literature. In 1954 Brown described a so-called hyoid bone syndrome, ie, tenderness at the site of the greater cornu of the hyoid bone. His paper, however, did not offer any definitive treatment. In 1968 Steinmann reported the hyoid bone syndrome as a form of "insertion tendinois," for which he recommended the use of procaine hydrochloride injection with corticosteroid at the tip of the greater hyoid cornu for relief of pain. The relief, however, was temporary. The purpose of this paper is to present the symptom complex of the hyoid bone syndrome, its diagnosis by exclusion, and excision of the greater cornu in 18 patients for permanent relief of head and neck pain.