Is there a relationship between the presence of ponticulus posticus and elongated styloid process?

This study aimed to determine if there is a possible relationship concerning the presence of ponticulus posticus (PP) in patients with elongated styloid process (ESP) on three-dimensional cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. The presence or absence of the PP (whether partial or complete) was determined and noted as a positive or negative finding. Then, the patients with PP were evaluated for ESP. For this purpose, 3-D CBCT scanning digital images of 542 patients having ESP (247 males and 295 females) were examined retrospectively. There was a significant relationship between the presence of PP and ESP (P=.03). The results of this study suggest that there is a significant correlation between the presence of PP and ESP. To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the relationship between the two disorders in the literature.