Isolated Hyoid Bone Fracture due to Blunt Trauma: Case Report

Abstract

Hiyoid kemik kırıkları nadir görülür. Hiyoid kemik kırığı-nın tanı konması zor olup, yüksek şüphe ile tanısı konulabilir. Bu yazıda, künt travmaya bağlı gelişen izole hiyoid kırığı olgusu sunuldu. Yirmi altı yaşında kadın hasta araç içi trafik kazası kazası sonucu acil servisimize başvurdu. Hasta yutma güçlüğü, boyunda ağrı ve rahatsızlık hissinden şikayetçiydi. Fiziksel incelemede boyunda hiperemi ve hassasiyet mevcuttu. Boyun bilgisayarlı tomografisi çeki-len hastada hiyoid kırığı gözlendi. Hastaya ilaç tedavisi uygulanarak 24 saat gözlendi. Poliklinik kontrolü önerilerek taburcu edildi. Acil hekimi, künt travmalarda hiyoid kırığı oluşma riskini dikkate almalıdır. Hiyoid kırıklı hastalar 24 saat gözlenmelidir. Genellikle bu hastalar için ilaç tedavisi yeterli sonuçları vermektedir.Anahtar Sözcükler: Hiyoid, kırık; künt travma.Fractures of the hyoid bone are very rare. Diagnosis of hyoid fracture is difficult and can be made only with a strong degree of suspicion. We report a case of isolated hyoid bone fracture due to blunt trauma to the neck. A 26-year-old woman was admitted to emergency department for motor vehicle accident. She complained of dysphagia and anterior neck discomfort. Physical examination showed hyperemia and tenderness of neck. A tomographic scan of neck was performed. The findings demonstrated hyoid fracture. Patient was observed with medical therapy for 24 hours and discharged with recommendation of outpatient control. Emergency physician has to be aware of the possibility of hyoid fractures in blunt traumas. Patients with hyoid fracture should be observed for 24 hours. Generally, medical treatment is satisfactory in isolated hyoid fractures.

An Extremely Rare Isolated Hyoid Bone Fracture in a Patient Involved in a Traffic Accident

“…Although a hyoid bone fracture is rare, it may contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality of patients with trauma, particularly when concomitant life-threatening injuries are present. A hyoid bone fracture may lead to laryngeal and pharyngeal lacerations and swelling of the anterior cervical tissue and provoke severe upper airway compromise [8,12]. The patient in the present case experienced anterior neck pain aggravated by palpation and neck extension.…”

“…The rarity of a hyoid fracture is related to the omnidirectional movement ability of the hyoid bone between the mandible and cervical spine [8]. Protection of the hyoid by the surrounding bones decreases during hyperextension [7].…”

“…Thus, a cervical CT scan should be taken to confirm suspicion of a hyoid bone fracture [8,12]. It is also recommended to evaluate the bony and soft tissue structures of the neck, including mandibular fractures, facial fractures, thyroid cartilage fractures, pharyngeal trauma, laryngeal lacerations, cervical spine injuries, vascular trauma, and external carotid artery pseudo-aneurysms [1,10,12].…”

“…A hyoid bone fracture caused by blunt trauma is exceedingly rare, except during strangulation and hanging [8]. Therefore, it may go undetected during a physical examination and could cause a life-threatening airway obstruction [1,5].…”

“…Thus, appropriate measures should be taken to carefully examine patients who have suffered blunt head and neck trauma [9]. To date, few cases of hyoid bone fractures caused by blunt neck trauma have been reported [1,5,[7][8][9][10]. Here, we report a case of a young male with an isolated fracture of the hyoid bone secondary to blunt neck trauma due to a traffic accident.…”