Relationship between ossification of the stylohyoid ligament and enthesopathy: a comparative study

Stylohyoid apparatus might be an anatomic region in the cervical spine involved by enthesopathy. The aim of this study was to assess the elongation and/or ossification at the stylohyoid apparatus in the degenerative or inflammatory diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthropathy (PsA) and cervical spondyloarthrosis (CS) in which cervical spine involvement can be seen.

Twenty-eight patients with AS, 25 patients with PsA, 31 patients with CS and 50 controls who did not have any complaints or symptoms related with elongated styloid process (SP) were included in the study. On the lateral cervical radiographs, the anterior and posterior aspects of each vertebral body and intervertebral disk were carefully evaluated for the presence and severity of syndesmophytes, osteophytes or ossification of the adjacent longitudinal ligaments in the patient group. The entire osseous length of the SP was measured on the lateral and lateral oblique mandibular or cervical views or the anteroposterior views radiographs in the patients and controls.

There were statistically significant differences between the patients with AS and control group and between the patients with PsA and control group with respect to the length of SP. The dimension of syndesmophytes or ligamentous ossification of the cervical spine involving C5-6 intervertebral disk level were significantly correlated with length of SP in the patients with AS.

Elongated SP might be another manifestation of enthesopaty in cervical spine of the spondyloarthropathies.