Anatomy, Head and Neck, Thyroid Muscles

The thyroid gland is a midline endocrine structure located in the anterior neck. It lies in front of the trachea, and the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the infrahyoid muscles cover its lateral and anterior borders. The sternocleidomastoid is a large muscle located in the posterior triangle of the neck. This muscle runs anterior to the common carotids and is a typical muscular landmark during neck surgery. The strap muscles, also known as the infrahyoid muscles, are composed of four paired muscles – the sternohyoid, the sternothyroid, the omohyoid, and the thyrohyoid. These muscles have both a superficial layer, composed of the sternohyoid and the omohyoid and a deep layer, consisting of the sternothyroid and the thyrohyoid.