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Case Reports: Unusual association of diseases/symptoms
Stylohyoid fracture resulting in facial paralysis
  1. Brooke Bocklud1 and
  2. Gauri Mankekar2
  1. 1School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
  2. 2Department of Otolaryngology/HNS, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
  1. Correspondence to Brooke Bocklud; beb001{at}lsuhs.edu

Abstract

A female patient in her early 30s was referred to the otology clinic for progressive left facial paralysis. Two weeks prior to the onset of the paralysis, she had heard a loud cracking sound when drinking water. A CT scan showed a left styloid fracture near the stylomastoid foramen, compressing the facial nerve. Varicella IgG and IgM were negative, but the patient was started on a tapering course of steroids and valacyclovir. Approximately 1 month after the original incident, her left facial nerve paralysis improved. This report describes the unusual cause of facial paralysis and discusses the importance of history taking and imaging studies.

  • Neurootology
  • Cranial nerves
  • Ear, nose and throat/otolaryngology

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2023-254938

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors The following authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content: BB and GM. The following author gave final approval of the manuscript: GM.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.