Looking to find out if these scans show my styloids?
Hi @Greenway22! How is motherhood treating you? I hope youāre not too exhausted! How have you been feeling health-wise?
The place Iād look for styloids does have some solid tissue, but itās indistinct enough that Iām not sure itās the styloids. I will let others who are more experienced in reading CBCT scans comment on that as I donāt want to mislead you.
Hi! Motherhood is amazing! Iām feeling a lot better now than I did while I was pregnant. Iām still experiencing symptoms just much less.
I have this continuing issue of swelling in my left submandibular gland. I was told maybe a salivary stone but nothing has appeared in the CBCT scan (although I donāt know if thatās the best scan for it)
I have other symptoms still as well but the swelling there is something Iām hoping to get resolved somehow!
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I think the styloids can be seen as the very thin pointy āneedlesā either side of the outside of your jaw bone- they look a bit longer than āaverageā but very pointy. A salivary gland stone can sometimes be seen on a CT, otherwise they can do a sialogram, where a dye is put into the gland & an x-ray taken.
I hope that you can get treatment soon, but lovely to hear motherhood is going well 
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Iām really glad being a mom is a happy place for you! I was hoping that once your pregnancy hormones went away that it would help reduce your symptoms & it sounds like that has happened (either that or your focus on your sweet baby is a good distraction 
).
It would be worthwhile pursuing a CT scan to look at your styloids. I annotated your scan after looking at it yesterday but was afraid Iād circled the wrong things so didnāt post it. @Jules confirmed what I thought were styloids so Iāve included the annotated image below. I do hope you get an answer re: the cause of your swollen gland whether ES or salivary stone or something else. Feeling good is important for a new mom especially since babies tend to require so much time & energy. 
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Well, last evening I had my CT. It took about 1 minute and this morning I had the letter through the post telling me that the CT of my ears was normal and good luck with my health and hearing(!?).
No report on the MRI, no follow up. I wonder what exactly was scanned as Iāve never had a problem with hearing and the otalgia is referred.
All I can do is get all my scans in disc and go elsewhere? None of this explains the episodic facial redness and swelling, fevers, sweats, never mind the horrific pain.
Maybe Eagle was discounted from the CT? I am astounded that the results could be available so quickly that the letter was with me almost as quickly as my getting home! this is the NHS remember.
Another door politely shut in my face.
It might be worth querying the results in case there has been a mix-up? Sounds strange that you got the results so quickly & it mentions something you werenāt being scanned forā¦Itās just all too efficient for the NHS, usually results are a few weeks!
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Yes itās very strange as I had the scan at 5.30 last night and I canāt see how there would have been enough time to report on it, dictate the letter, type it and send it to arrive some 15 hours later! I am going in with form to request my scans on disc tomorrow and then move on from there. Iāve never known the NHS be that quick or secretaries working so late either!
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Check the procedure dates on the report too. There must be a mix-up
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@McWelly - The CT scan duration is ridiculously short, too. Mine took at least 20 min & was done in different head positions though they were static, not dynamic. I donāt think they were checking for styloids if they commented on your ears. They should have been looking inside your neck from skull base to hyoid. Do you know if that was requested?
Good suggestions were made by both @Jules & @vdm. Iād sure question the results & check report dates & even the name on the report. Wonder if they mixed you up w/ someone else?
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In the scan I uploaded where you circled to my left as Iām looking at the screenā¦ is that extending into my jawline? Iām really unsure of what Iām looking for exactly but I do know I need to find a doctor who wonāt think Iām crazy and actually listen. Do MRI scans help at all in looking at the styloids if Iām being sent to one for my TMJ?
@Greenway22 - Your styloids donāt appear to touch your jaw bones on either side which is good. As far as MRIs go, they predominantly look at soft tissue. Sometimes the styloids can be seen in an MRI if the angle is right but more often the vascular & muscle tissues cover them up, at least partially, making it hard to see the whole styloid. Thatās why a CT scan is better as CTs visualize bony tissues, however, a CT w/ contrast shows soft tissues as well & can make the styloids difficult to see, but again, with the right head position, they can be visible even w/ contrast.
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I donāt have the report @vdm, the letter was post marked 26 oct, same day as the scan which was done at 5.30 pm. Secretaries go home by 5, so who typed it? Nothing is that quick here and they told me my doctor would get the results in 7-10 days so itās almost like the letter was sent before the scan.
I lay on my back, and the scan took about 1 minute, there was no āhold your breathā, then ābreathe normallyā.
Yes, @Isaiah_40_31 , something odd here and if the letter is to be believed, the scans and reports should be available for me today. Over here, you donāt get any info or records by default, itās a written request.
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Definitely follow-up w/ the radiology lab & let them know youāre pretty sure you got someone elseās results because of how quickly they showed up. In the US we can get our results w/in a few hours, but theyāre usually sent via email or we get an email message telling us to login to some medical site to see our results. This occurs even before follow up with our doctors.
Is where I circled in red also my styloid?
STYLOIDS.pdf (590.5 KB)
Doesnāt seem so. Just blue ones
I have asked for all my scans to be out on disc Jules. TO be honest I am beginning to think that this might not be Eagle but infection due to the continuing fevers and throbbing pain.
This pic is from my initial MRI done 3 years ago, wonder what the white ādandelion headā is that is on the right of the pic, I assume that this is my left side but I am not sure?
GP has agreed to a blood test, not urgent so another wait.
Happy Sunday all x 
Not sure about that, interesting, maybe others can help who are more knowledgeable! Has your parotid gland ever swelled up?
Funny enough, after spending 6 hrs in a/e this afternoon, this has been suggested. Dosed up on codeine which only takes the edge off the pain and I have an emergency appt with max fax tomorrow morning. Feel dreadful tbh!
Home and in bed xx