Tiwary Pushpakant, Sahoo Nandakishore, Thakral Ankur, Ranjan Udayan
Professor, Department of Radiodiagnosis, MH Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Professor and Head of Department, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, CMDC (CC), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2017 Oct;75(10):2177-2182. doi: 10.1016/j.joms.2017.06.016. Epub 2017 Jun 23.
Fracture of the styloid process of the temporal bone has been infrequently reported. The present study evaluated the incidence, causes, distribution, and management of styloid process fracture in association with other maxillofacial fractures.
A prospective evaluation of patients with maxillofacial trauma over a period of 1 year was carried out and patients' characteristics, mode and distribution of injury, and length of styloid process were recorded. Patients were divided into 5 groups based on the site of maxillofacial fracture and into 2 groups based on styloid process length to evaluate their association with styloid process fracture. The authors' unit protocol was carried out for management of styloid process fracture.
Of 84 patients with maxillofacial trauma, 27 patients (14 men, 13 women; mean age, 25.7 ± 8.92 yr) had styloid process fracture. The most common cause of injury was road traffic accidents. Mandibular and multiple facial fractures accounted for most concomitant styloid process fractures. The mean length of the styloid process in patients with fracture was 2.46 ± 0.89 cm and no relevant association was present between the length and fracture of the styloid process. All patients responded well to initial conservative management.
Styloid process fractures are relatively common injuries in developing countries and a meticulous examination is essential for prompt diagnosis and adequate care.
