In literature, there is paucity of information on the different shapes of 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 usual, bearing a concavity on the anterior, as well as the posterior aspects as a consequence of which, the bone was constricted in its proximal part. The mastoid process which is usually conical, was found to be rounded in this case. The length of the styloid process measured 2.8 and 2.7 cm on left and right sides, respectively. The skiagram 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. 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 (Fig. 2, Ref. 11). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.
Large Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome is a congenital malformation of the temporal bone characterised by early onset of sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular disturbance. Familial large vestibular aqueduct syndrome suggests autosomal recessive or X-linked inheritance and accounts for non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss in these patients.
Eagle's syndrome is an uncommon condition resulting from an elongated styloid process, which causes cervico facial pain, tinnitus and otalgia. A 48-year-old female presented to the clinic with bilateral upper neck pain radiating to the ears with tinnitus for almost one-year duration. Examination of the oral cavity revealed atrophic tonsils and palpable bony projection deep in the tonsillar fossa. Plain lateral neck X-ray and CT scan confirmed the presence of bilateral elongated styloid processes, which were subsequently resected surgically through an oropharyngeal approach. The patient was asymptomatic at follow up at 2 years.