The temporal bone is a complex paired bone forming the lateral skull base, containing the middle and inner ear, the mastoid process, the styloid process, and the glenoid fossa of the TMJ. It articulates with the sphenoid, parietal, occipital, and zygomatic bones. The petrous portion houses the cochlea and vestibular apparatus.
| Articulations | |
|---|---|
| Landmarks |
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| Ossification | Multiple ossification centres contributing to the squamous, tympanic, petrous, and styloid parts. The styloid process (Reichert's cartilage from the second branchial arch) ossifies separately and is incomplete at birth. |
The temporal bone is involved in temporal bone fractures from lateral head trauma, classified as longitudinal (along the long axis, more common, associated with conductive hearing loss and facial nerve injury at the geniculate ganglion) or transverse (through the otic capsule, associated with sensorineural hearing loss and facial nerve injury at the labyrinthine segment). CT of the temporal bone is the imaging standard. High-resolution CT identifies cholesteatoma, ossicular chain disruption, and semicircular canal dehiscence.
A blow to the side of the head can fracture the petrous temporal bone, producing hearing loss, haemotympanum, Battle sign (mastoid bruising), facial nerve palsy, or cerebrospinal fluid otorrhoea.
A fracture of the thin squamous temporal bone near the pterion can tear the middle meningeal artery, leading to an extradural haematoma with a classic lucid interval.
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