Oropharyngeal styloids: An unusual presentation.

The close proximity of the styloid process to many of the vital neurovascular structures in the neck makes it clinically significant. The styloid process is said to be elongated if it is longer than 3.0 cm in length. Anatomical variations are very common and clinical symptoms arising from such variations have to be recognized. Elongated styloid processes may cause chronic throat pain along with foreign body sensation, dysphagia, vague facial pain, and otalgia. Surgical excision of an elongated styloid is considered as a satisfactory treatment for such cases. Here, we present a unique case of bilaterally elongated styloids that could be visualized just by depressing the tongue, when they appeared like the tusks of an elephant in the oropharyngeal region.

Sequence of oral manifestations in rhino-maxillary mucormycosis.

Mucormycosis, caused by saprophytic fungi of the order Mucorales of the class Zygomycetes, is a rare opportunistic fungal infection, which has a rapidly progressive and fulminant course with fatal outcome. These fungi are ubiquitous, found in soil, bread molds, decaying fruits and vegetables. The most common form of mucormycosis is rhinocerebral and is usually seen in uncontrolled diabetes mellitus or in immunocompromised patients. This fungus invades the arteries, leading to thrombosis that subsequently causes necrosis of hard and soft tissues. We report a case of palatal perforation by rhino-maxillary mucormycosis in an immunocompromised patient. The aim of this article is to draw attention to the clinical presentation and pathogenesis of mucormycosis and to emphasize the need for high degree of suspicion in its diagnosis and management.