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Is there a relationship between symptoms of patients and tomographic characteristics of styloid process?

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Abstract

Objectives

To investigate the angulations and length of the styloid process (SP) on three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) images between the patients having elongated SP complaints and those without any stylalgia symptoms.

Patients and methods

One hundred patients underwent 3D-CT evaluation of the bilateral temporomandibular joints to investigate for symptomatic elongated styloid process (ESP) at our institution. The differences between the mean angulations and lengths of the SP and comparisons between patient and control groups were analyzed by student t test.

Results

In study group, mean length of styloid processes was 40.7 ± 10.8 mm on the right and 40.3 ± 10.9 mm on the left. Mean medial angles of SP were measured as 22.60 ± 4.0 on the right side and 22.60 ± 4.5 on the left side. In the same group, mean anterior angles of SP were 16.10 ± 6.9 on the right and 16.70 ± 7.1 on the left side. The “in-group” comparisons of lengths, medial and anterior angles did not produce statistically significant results. The comparison of medial angulations between the symptomatic and asymptomatic patients was the only statistically meaningful result in our study.

Conclusion

3D-CT has several advantages according to conventional tomography for visualization of head and neck anatomy. The increase of medial angulation of SP may be responsible for the development of complaints in ESP.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Bozok University Medical Faculty, 66200, Yozgat, Turkey

    Aylin Okur & Halil İbrahim Serin

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Bozok University Medical Faculty, Yozgat, Turkey

    Mahmut Özkırış, Zeliha Kapusuz Gencer & Levent Saydam

  3. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Bozok University Medical Faculty, Yozgat, Turkey

    Seyhan Karaçavuş

  4. Department of Radiology, Atatürk University Medical Faculty, Erzurum, Turkey

    Leyla Karaca & Mecit Kantarcı

Authors
  1. Aylin Okur
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  2. Mahmut Özkırış
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  3. Halil İbrahim Serin
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  4. Zeliha Kapusuz Gencer
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  5. Seyhan Karaçavuş
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  6. Leyla Karaca
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  7. Mecit Kantarcı
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  8. Levent Saydam
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Correspondence to Aylin Okur.

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Okur, A., Özkırış, M., Serin, H.İ. et al. Is there a relationship between symptoms of patients and tomographic characteristics of styloid process?. Surg Radiol Anat 36, 627–632 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-013-1213-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-013-1213-2

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