Variants of the histological structure of the styloid processes of the temporal bone

Abstract

The Eagle’s syndrome is a disease that is caused by irritation of the nervous, vascular and muscular structures that surround the subcutaneous process of the temporal bone. A syndrome manifested by chronic pain at the deeppart of the lateral region of the face, which irradiates into the root of the tongue, pharynx and ear, dysphagia, symptoms of disorders of the circulation of the brain. Symptoms of Eagle’s syndrome are found in various otolaryngological, dental, neurological diseases. Purpose of the study: identify and evaluate the most significant histologic features of hypertrophied styloid processes of the temporal bone; identify differences in variants of their growth, according to histological differences; to estimate influence of conservative therapy, that prior to the surgical treatment, to the histological structure of the subulate processes. Materials and methods: at the course of our work based on the diagnosis and treatment of the Eagle’s syndrome, we performed 32 operations for resection of the styloid processes of the temporal bone, despite the ineffectiveness of conservative treatment. All fragments of there moved styloid processes of the temporal bone were sent to histological examination. The performed histological researches al low at present conditionally, according to a small number of the examined patients, to carry out classification of the styloid processes of the temporal bone into two groups. Give names to groups: “ossification”, i.e. the actual growth of the styloid process and “calcification”, i.e. dystrophic changes due to the deposition of calcium salts. Accordingly, we are developing approaches to conservative or surgical treatments of this pathology.