Cone beam computed tomographic evaluation of styloid process: A retrospective study of 1000 patients

Abstract

Objective:The styloid process (SP) is a bony projection, located just anterior to the stylomastoid foramen, the normal length of which is approximately 20–30 mm. The length of SP when exceeds 30 mm it is said to “elongated.” The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the prevalence of elongated SP (ESP) by cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) examination in Turkish subpopulation and its relation to gender and age.Materials and Methods:This study analyzed CBCT of 1000 patients who were randomly selected to participate and were aged from 14 to 78 years. Any radiograph with questionable SP was excluded from the study. The apparent length and thickness of the SP were measured by two dental and maxillofacial radiologists. The ESP was classified with radiographic appearance-based morphology of elongation. The data were analyzed with the IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0.Results:The mean age of patients was 42.49 ± 14.83 years. The length of SP was measured over 30 mm in 151 patients (15.1%). A total of 151 CBCT showed ESP, of which 87 (57.6%) were noticed in males and 64 (42.4%) in female patients. The length of right-sided SP ranged from 30.05 to 85.49 mm and left-sided SP from 30.14 to 83.72 mm.Conclusion:CBCT is a valuable diagnostic imaging tool which makes accurate length measurements. It is important for the clinicians to be aware of natural variations of the SP whose clinical importance is not well understood.

Elongation pattern of styloid process in Saudi population: a factor to remember in the prevention of eagle syndrome

“…Cone beam computed tomography can be used as an advanced diagnostic tool to assess the SP pattern, Buyuk et al [4], Donmez et al [7], and Öztunç et al, [21] used it on Turkish population, Kailasam et al [14], and Ramadoss et al [27], on Indian population, Khairallah A [15], used it on Lebanese population, Andrei et al [2] used it on Romanian population, Czajka et al [6] used it in polish cases.…”

A Prolonged Time to Diagnosis Due to Misdiagnoses: A Case Report of an Atypical Presentation of Eagle Syndrome

“…Radiographic assessment including panoramic radiographs and computed tomography (CT) scan presents useful information to diagnose ES [ 1 , 16 , 22 ]. CT has been recommended as the best imagery to evaluate the position, length, width, and angulation of the SPs, as well as their proximity to adjacent neuro-vascular structures [ 13 , 22 , 23 ].…”

“…The elongation of the SP classically occurs after a traumatic event such as the fracture of the SP, a minor trauma of the neck, or after tonsillectomy [ 1 , 2 ]. The incidence of elongated SP is thought to be between 4% and 15% of the population [ 3 , 13 , 14 ]. However, a minority of patients with elongated SP are symptomatic [ 3 , 14 – 16 ].…”

Morphometric evaluation of the styloid process of the temporal bone as an aid in age and sex discrimination – A retrospective digital panaromic study

“…Authors even concluded CBCT as one of the alternative to other imaging modalities in the assessment of the styloid processes. 29,30 Till our knowledge, this is first study conducted on Rajasthan population evaluating the styloid processes prevalence. In the present study, 854 (22.47%) radiographs showed elongated styloid processes.…”