title: Hyoid bone position change after neck dissection for oral cancer: a preliminary report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study goal was to evaluate the change in hyoid bone position after neck dissection and tumor resection for oral cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven patients who underwent surgery were retrospectively evaluated. The hyoid bone position was measured before and after the surgery using a topogram of computed tomography scans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a statistically significant difference in the hyoid bone position between preoperative and postoperative images in anteroposterior direction (Wilcoxon signed rank test, P <.05), but there was no significant difference in the superoinferior direction. The hyoid bone moved anteriorly when the submandibular region was resected. In cases in which the submental region was resected, it was variably displaced depending on the type of suspension or reconstruction of the resected suprahyoid muscles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This limited study suggests that the hyoid bone is displaced after surgery for oral cancer. The hyoid bone was displaced anteriorly if the submandibular region was resected, and it was displaced severely if the submental region was resected.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Asahi, Matsumoto, Japan.hkurita@hsp.md.shinshu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurita
authors.forename: Shinobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurashina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002680:Chin / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006928:Hyoid Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D037981:Neck Dissection / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed