ArticleCureus2026
External Carotid Artery Position Relative to the Greater Horn of the Hyoid: A Comprehensive Bilateral Analysis of Anatomical Variations.
Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purpose The external carotid artery (ECA) exhibits variable relationships with the greater horn of the hyoid bone (GHHB), which is relevant to cervical surgery. We aimed to classify ECA positions relative to the GHHB, describe bilateral patterns, and provide prevalence data for surgical planning. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional CTA study was conducted in 115 adults (75 males and 40 females), with a mean age of 58.3 ± 14.2 years. Eleven ECA-GHHB positional types were defined. Positions were recorded bilaterally, combined into symmetry/asymmetry patterns, and analysed with descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, McNemar tests, binomial tests, and logistic regression (EViews 13.0, Quantitative Micro Software, Irvine, CA, USA). Results Eleven ECA positions were identified. Lateral (34.8%) and postero-lateral (32.6%) positions dominated (67.4% combined). Overall, 32 bilateral combinations were recorded. Lateral position showed a strong right-side preference (46.1% right vs 23.5% left; p < 0.0001). Bilateral asymmetry was more frequent than symmetry (58.3% vs 41.7%; p = 0.093). Lateralised ECAs (lateral to the internal carotid artery (ICA)) occurred in 3.5% of sides, mainly on the right, and could not be related to the GHHB. No significant gender differences were found (p > 0.05). Conclusion ECA-GHHB relationships are highly variable, with dominant lateral/postero-lateral patterns, a marked right-sided lateral preference, and frequent bilateral asymmetry. The proposed classification and prevalence data support preoperative risk assessment and highlight the need for patient-specific imaging in cervical surgery.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.