Nonsyndromic Isolated Temporal Bone Styloid Process Fracture

Missed injuries associated with maxillofacial trauma

Background

Maxillofacial trauma in polytrauma settings is often associated with multiple injuries both trivial and life threatening, and their timely detection is the mainstay of definitive trauma management for preventing mortality and morbidity. Emergency management of all the patients reporting to our maxillofacial unit is either done by our center or they have been managed at the peripheral health care facility and relatively stable patient is referred to us. Anecdotally, we found inadequacies in transport methods, diagnosis, and detection of associated injuries in the patients referred to us from the peripheral health care facility. To substantiate our finding, this observational study has been planned.

Objective

To identify, diagnose, and document missed injuries associated with the maxillofacial trauma.

Materials and Methods

All the trauma patients referred to the maxillofacial unit directly from the peripheral health care facility during the period of October 2017 to March 2019 were included in this study.

Results

We observed a total of 270 patients having both pure maxillofacial trauma and patients having documented other injuries associated with maxillofacial injuries. In our maxillofacial unit, functioning as a secondary screen, head to toe clinical examination was performed to document any previously missed out injuries. Missed injuries diagnosed by us included spinal injuries, temporal bone fractures, fractures of the styloid process, and even head injury.

Conclusion

Frequent reassessment of trauma patients at all levels of trauma care and training health care personnel particularly those at peripheral health care facility and those involved in prehospital care are pivotal in managing the trauma patients in most efficient manner.

Stylomandibular False Ankylosis: An Unusual Complication After Vascularized Iliac Crest Flap for Mandibular Reconstruction

Stylomandibular fusion is a poorly documented and rare complication of maxillofacial surgical procedures. This case report describes a patient presenting with stylomandibular false ankylosis following mandibular reconstruction. A 59-year-old female patient underwent segmental mandibular resection and reconstruction for a defect resulting from ameloblastoma surgery using an iliac crest free flap. A styloid fracture was detected postoperatively, and the patient was managed conservatively. In the third postoperative year, the patient presented with marked limitation of oral gape. A diagnosis of stylomandibular false ankylosis was made, and the patient underwent an ostectomy of the aberrant bone, with improved mouth opening. The abnormal union between the styloid process and the mandible is a previously unreported complication in the use of iliac crest free flaps. This case report emphasizes the importance of being vigilant for stylomandibular false ankylosis, especially when there is a restriction of oral aperture postoperatively following reconstructive procedures involving bone flaps.

Cervico-stylo-mandibular complex fracture: a critical review of literature along with a protocol to recognize and proposal of a new classification

Fractures of the styloid process of the temporal bone may occur with or without an obvious relation to trauma. The incidence of either isolated styloid process fracture or in combination with mandibular fractures is rare, and such occurrences are often misdiagnosed or neglected. A fractured styloid when displaced may impinge on adjacent vital structures, leading to neurological or vascular symptoms that vary according to the anatomical structure compressed. Styloid process fractures associated with atlas/C1 fractures have also been rarely reported in the literature. In this review of literature, the majority of patients was treated conservatively, as few demonstrated the necessity of surgical intervention. There is a definitive need for a protocol to recognize and classify styloid fractures to plan for further treatment. The aim of this review was to achieve a comprehensive understanding of all types of styloid fractures, determine the clinical severity of symptoms, and to consider management and prognosis. In addition, a new classification of cervico-stylo-mandibular fractures is proposed based on important evidence in the literature regarding clinical and radiographic factors that might influence the treatment and prognosis of such fractures.

Fractured styloid process masquerading as neck pain: Cone-beam computed tomography investigation and review of the literature

Historically, Eagle syndrome is a term that has been used to describe radiating pain in the orofacial region, foreign body sensation, and/or dysphagia due to a unilateral or bilateral elongated styloid process impinging upon the tonsillar region. Because elongated styloid processes-with or without associated Eagle syndrome-can present with various symptoms and radiographic findings, it can be challenging for healthcare practitioners to formulate an accurate diagnosis. Abnormal styloid anatomy can lead to a multitude of symptoms, including chronic orofacial/neck pain, thus masquerading as more commonly diagnosed conditions. In this report, we describe a patient who presented to our department with styloid process elongation and fracture. A careful history, physical examination, and a conebeam computed tomography (CBCT) investigation led to the diagnosis. The patient was then referred for appropriate care. This case report demonstrates the utilization of CBCT in differentiating a fracture site from a pseudo-joint that might mimic a fracture.

A truncated temporal styloid process from the Jordanian Ottoman Period: Developmental variant or fracture?

Styloid process (SP) development and its role in an individual's lived experience plays a negligible role in paleopathological research, although a handful of possible Eagle's syndrome cases have been reported. Here, the development of the stylohyoid chain and the medical research of SP variants are reviewed to inform the differential diagnosis of a probable SP fracture in a young adult male associated with the Ottoman Period (13-19thC) in Jordan. The fracture surface of the right SP is smooth rather than irregular, the coloration is uniform with the surrounding cortical bone staining, and no new bone formation is visible. All features are consistent with a perimortem injury. An unossified stylohyal is a differential diagnosis, while the left elongated SP suggests a predisposition to intrinsic injury. The implications of SP fractures are considered.