Hamular bursitis: difficult to diagnose in orofacial pain

ABSTRACT

Hamular bursitis is a rare condition, which generates pain in soft palate and oropharynx on swallowing. It produces similar symptomatic expression as temporomandibular disorders, impacted teeth, trigeminal and glossopharyngeal neuralgia, stylohyoid ligament calcification, stylomandibular ligament inflammation, tumors, cysts and otitis media. Thereby, it is a diagnosis of exclusion.Infiltration of local anaesthesia can be an excellent diagnostic aid when differentiating hamular pain from other possible causes. Treatment may be conservative or surgical, dependenting on the actual cause of the pain. Surgical procedure is rarely indicated. The hamular zone deserves special clinical attention especially in the differential diagnosis of the wide variety of craniocervical pains. The pain in this zone is so intense that it can be confused as neuropathic pain. This condition is difficult to diagnose due to its complex anatomy and overlap of symptoms similar to other chronic orofacial pain disorders which result in difficulty in treatment. Clinician should thereby understand the anatomy, etiology, clinical features, differential diagnosis for the management of Hamular Bursitis