Triticeal cartilage calcification

Abstract

The triticeal cartilage (TC) is a tiny oval-shaped cartilage located at the lateral border of the thyrohyoid membrane between the hyoid bone greater horn and the thyroid cartilage superior horn. The exact function o TC is unknown; it has been proposed that TC was the site of the attachment for the triticeoglossus muscle. On panoramic radiographs, calcified TC may be observed in the soft tissues of the pharynx region, positioned inferior to the greater horn of the hyoid bone and adjacent to the superior border of the C4 vertebrae. The major concern of a calcified TC found incidentally in a routine radiographic examination is the differentiation between this alteration and other calcified tissue manifestations that require additional investigations, such as carotid calcified atheroma artery or other neck pathology such as foreign bodies. Thus, this report describes 3 cases in which TC calcifications were incidentally found in panoramic radiographs.