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- Title
ANOMALOUS STYLOID PROCESS AND ITS CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS.
- Authors
Das, Srijit; Suhaimi, Farihah Haji; Othman, Faizah; Latiff, Azian Abd
- Abstract
Introduction: There is paucity of literature on the different shapes of the styloid processes of the temporal bone of the skull. Textbooks of anatomy describe the styloid process to be slender, approximately 2.5 cm in length and concave on the anterior aspect only. In the present case, we observed the styloid process to be much longer than the usual, bearing a concavity on the anterior, as well as the posterior aspects. The mastoid process which is usually conical was found to be rounded in this case. The anatomico-radiological features and clinical implications of anomalous styloid and mastoid processes are being discussed in the present study. Case Report: The styloid process was elongated, angulated and displayed concavity on its anterior, as well as on its posterior aspects. As a consequence, the bone was constricted in the proximal part. The length of the styloid process measured 2.8 and 2.7 cm on left and right sides, respectively. The mastoid process exhibited a rounded and enlarged appearance. The skiagram (lateral view of the skull) also displayed the biconcave profile of the styloid process and the rounded appearance of the mastoid process, thus substantiated the findings on gross examination of the skull. Conclusion: The anatomical knowledge of the mastoid process is important for surgeons assessing the mastoid air cells. The elongated styloid process is often a feature of Eagle's Syndrome. An enlarged and calcified styloid process is often asymptomatic, unless detected radiologically. An abnormally elongated styloid process or its calcification may cause recurrent throat pain, foreign body sensation, dysphagia, or facial pain. An enlarged styloid process may also compress upon the internal carotid artery, leading to transient ischemic attack and may pose a threat to anesthetists performing intubation procedures. Awareness of such variations may be of clinical importance to radiologists and surgeons.
- Subjects
TEMPORAL bone; SKULL abnormalities; CLINICAL indications; MASTOID process; RADIOLOGISTS; SURGEONS
- Publication
Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2007, Vol 14, p299
- ISSN
1394-195X
- Publication type
Article