Clinical implications of the ossified pterygospinous ligament

Sergey Lvovich KABAK, Yuliya M

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess neurological symptoms in patients with ossified pterygospinous ligament detected in vivo using the cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Three CBCT scans of patients from dental outpatient hospitals of Minsk, Belarus were performed on the Planmeca ProMax® 3D Max unit using standard exposure and patient positioning protocol. Reformatted panoramic and sagittal CBCT sections were analyzed. One case of entrapment of the lingual nerve by the ossified pterygospinous ligament was observed. In two other cases ossification of the pterygospinous ligament was not accompanied by any neurological symptoms. Calcification of the pterygospinous ligament can be detected in vivo using CBCT. Sometimes it may affect the lingual nerve producing symptoms of neuralgia. When combined with a broad lateral plate of the pterygoid process, it may restrict the access to structures located in the infratemporal fossa.