title: [New contributions to development of the cartilage of the second branchial arch and its clinical incidence].
abstract: In the human embryo, the second branchial arch has a cartilaginous structure called Reichert's cartilage named alter its discoverer who first classified the visceral arches in 1837. The concept of Reichert's cartilage is still interpreted today as a structure that gives rise to the stapes of the middle ear, to the styloid process, to the styloid ligament, the lesser horns and the superior part of the hyoid body. The normal pattern of the cartilage of the second branchial arch has been studied in human fetuses, giving rise to a new interpretation. It has been classified into two parts, one longer cranial one joined to the otic capsule and another smaller caudal one associated with the hyoid bone. In our opinion, variability in the shape and the arrangement of the cranial portion will condition the formation of a styloid process of different length and morphology. Our studies of this cartilage explain the mechanism by which certain craniofacial variations with clinical implications can arise.
authors.affiliation: Catedrático de Anatomía Humana.
authors.forename: José Francisco
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Vázquez
mesh_terms: D001934:Branchial Region / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology*; D002356:Cartilage / Q000196:embryology*; D006801:Humans