Morphological studies of the foramen caecum linguae of the human and guinea pig tongue
Toh, H.; Ohmori, T.
Acta Anatomica 141(2): 97-103
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-5180 PMID: 1746229 Document Number: 370505
A three-dimensional study of the development of the thyroid gland in human and guinea pig embryos was made together with a histological investigation of the foramen caecum of the human adult tongue. In the human embryo, an epithelial depression was not seen between the first and second branchial arches except a shallow sulcus. Ciliated cells were observed on the dorsal surface of the tongue in all embryos which exceeded 18 mm in crown-rump length. The presence of a foramen caecum was observed in 18 (51%) cadavers from 35 human adults. Several circumvallate papillae were found in a 10-mm-deep foramen caecum on the side adjacent to the anterior two thirds of the tongue. In all specimens serous glands open into the foramen caecum.