Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (652 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Either of a pair of compound bones forming the lateral (left and right) surfaces and base of the skull which contains the organs of hearing. It is a large bone formed by the fusion of parts: the squamous (the flattened anterior-superior part), the tympanic (the curved anterior-inferior part), the mastoid (the irregular posterior portion), and the petrous (the part at the base of the skull).
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Bone, Temporal; Temporal Bones; Stylomastoid Foramen.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 20,722 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Temporal Bone” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 2,390 of them (11.5%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 9,807 records.
Reviews account for 1,477 records (7.1%) and meta-analyses for 54. Randomized controlled trials number 95 (0.5%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 9,807 |
| 2000-2009 | 3,817 |
| 2010-2019 | 4,708 |
| 2020 onward | 2,390 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,477 | 7.1% |
| Meta-analyses | 54 | 0.3% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 95 | 0.5% |
Method: PubMed query "Temporal Bone"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The etiology of Bell's palsy: a review | 2020 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 206 | cc by PMID 30923934 · DOI · PMC7320932 |
| Fully automated preoperative segmentation of temporal bone structures from clinical CT scans | 2021 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 54 | cc by PMID 33420386 · DOI · PMC7794235 |
| A systematic investigation of human DNA preservation in medieval skeletons | 2020 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 51 | cc by PMID 33106554 · DOI · PMC7588426 |
| Transoral Styloidectomy Approach: A Systematic Review and Enhanced Endoscopic Approach | 2026 | Systematic review Design not recorded in structured metadata | 0 | cc by PMID 41542821 · DOI · PMC13155192 |
The etiology of Bell's palsy: a review [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Bell's palsy is the most common condition involving a rapid and unilateral onset of peripheral paresis/paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve.
- Closing excerpt
- It also suggests that the diagnosis of idiopathic facial palsy is based on exclusion and is most often made based on five factors including anatomical structure, viral infection, ischemia, inflammation, and cold stimulation responsivity.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (149 words)
Bell's palsy is the most common condition involving a rapid and unilateral onset of peripheral paresis/paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve. It affects 11.5-53.3 per 100,000 individuals a year across different populations. Bell's palsy is a health issue causing concern and has an extremely negative effect on both patients and their families. Therefore, diagnosis and prompt cause determination are key for early treatment. However, the etiology of Bell's palsy is unclear, and this affects its treatment. Thus, it is critical to determine the causes of Bell's palsy so that targeted treatment approaches can be developed and employed. This article reviews the literature on the diagnosis of Bell's palsy and examines possible etiologies of the disorder. It also suggests that the diagnosis of idiopathic facial palsy is based on exclusion and is most often made based on five factors including anatomical structure, viral infection, ischemia, inflammation, and cold stimulation responsivity.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 30923934 · DOI · PMC7320932
Fully automated preoperative segmentation of temporal bone structures from clinical CT scans [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Middle- and inner-ear surgery is a vital treatment option in hearing loss, infections, and tumors of the lateral skull base.
- Closing excerpt
- This end-to-end automated segmentation pipeline can help to advance the systematic application of augmented reality, simulation, and automation in otologic procedures.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (202 words)
Middle- and inner-ear surgery is a vital treatment option in hearing loss, infections, and tumors of the lateral skull base. Segmentation of otologic structures from computed tomography (CT) has many potential applications for improving surgical planning but can be an arduous and time-consuming task. We propose an end-to-end solution for the automated segmentation of temporal bone CT using convolutional neural networks (CNN). Using 150 manually segmented CT scans, a comparison of 3 CNN models (AH-Net, U-Net, ResNet) was conducted to compare Dice coefficient, Hausdorff distance, and speed of segmentation of the inner ear, ossicles, facial nerve and sigmoid sinus. Using AH-Net, the Dice coefficient was 0.91 for the inner ear; 0.85 for the ossicles; 0.75 for the facial nerve; and 0.86 for the sigmoid sinus. The average Hausdorff distance was 0.25, 0.21, 0.24 and 0.45 mm, respectively. Blinded experts assessed the accuracy of both techniques, and there was no statistical difference between the ratings for the two methods (p = 0.93). Objective and subjective assessment confirm good correlation between automated segmentation of otologic structures and manual segmentation performed by a specialist. This end-to-end automated segmentation pipeline can help to advance the systematic application of augmented reality, simulation, and automation in otologic procedures.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33420386 · DOI · PMC7794235
A systematic investigation of human DNA preservation in medieval skeletons [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses necessitate the destructive sampling of archaeological material.
- Closing excerpt
- Our study provides a better perspective on DNA preservation across the human skeleton and takes a further step toward the more responsible use of ancient materials in human aDNA studies.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (164 words)
Ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses necessitate the destructive sampling of archaeological material. Currently, the cochlea, part of the osseous inner ear located inside the petrous pyramid, is the most sought after skeletal element for molecular analyses of ancient humans as it has been shown to yield high amounts of endogenous DNA. However, destructive sampling of the petrous pyramid may not always be possible, particularly in cases where preservation of skeletal morphology is of top priority. To investigate alternatives, we present a survey of human aDNA preservation for each of ten skeletal elements in a skeletal collection from Medieval Germany. Through comparison of human DNA content and quality we confirm best performance of the petrous pyramid and identify seven additional sampling locations across four skeletal elements that yield adequate aDNA for most applications in human palaeogenetics. Our study provides a better perspective on DNA preservation across the human skeleton and takes a further step toward the more responsible use of ancient materials in human aDNA studies.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33106554 · DOI · PMC7588426
Transoral Styloidectomy Approach: A Systematic Review and Enhanced Endoscopic Approach [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundSynthesize transoral styloidectomy approaches, highlight advantages, disadvantages, surgical outcomes, and describe an improved endoscopic transoral technique.
- Closing excerpt
- An enhanced endoscopic approach with indocyanine green (ICG) fluoroscopy and neuromonitoring improves intraoperative visualization and helps identify critical vascular structures, potentially reducing the risk of inadvertent injury.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (137 words)
BackgroundSynthesize transoral styloidectomy approaches, highlight advantages, disadvantages, surgical outcomes, and describe an improved endoscopic transoral technique.MethodsA systematic review of peer-reviewed articles was conducted on November 11, 2025 in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Medline.ResultsOf the 204 articles screened, 45 met inclusion criteria. Four transoral approaches and four visual enhancement techniques were described. Surgical success rate was 94% with no intraoperative complications and a postoperative complication rate of 6.3%. The length of resected styloid averaged 2.91 ± 1.33 cm (range: 1-6 cm). Mean operative time was 47 ± 22 min. Median follow-up time was 6 months (IQR: 3-12 months).ConclusionTransoral styloidectomy is safe and effective for the treatment of Eagle's syndrome. An enhanced endoscopic approach with indocyanine green (ICG) fluoroscopy and neuromonitoring improves intraoperative visualization and helps identify critical vascular structures, potentially reducing the risk of inadvertent injury.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41542821 · DOI · PMC13155192
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Eagle syndrome: A comprehensive review [5]
- Research article Temporal bone fracture: evaluation and management in the modern era [6]
- Research article Otosclerosis: Temporal Bone Pathology [7]
- Research article Review of temporal bone dissection teaching: how it was, is and will be [8]
- Research article Endolymphatic sac surgery for Ménière's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis [9]
- Research article Imaging review of the temporal bone: part I. Anatomy and inflammatory and neoplastic processes [10]
References
- Zhang W, Xu L, Luo T, Wu F, Zhao B, Li X. The etiology of Bell's palsy: a review. . 2020. PMID 30923934 · DOI · PMC7320932
- Neves CA, Tran ED, Kessler IM, Blevins NH. Fully automated preoperative segmentation of temporal bone structures from clinical CT scans. . 2021. PMID 33420386 · DOI · PMC7794235
- Parker C, Rohrlach AB, Friederich S, Nagel S, Meyer M, Krause J, et al.. A systematic investigation of human DNA preservation in medieval skeletons. . 2020. PMID 33106554 · DOI · PMC7588426
- Abdul-Rahman NH, Helou V, Gardiner LA, Gardner PA, Snyderman CH. Transoral Styloidectomy Approach: A Systematic Review and Enhanced Endoscopic Approach. . 2026. PMID 41542821 · DOI · PMC13155192
- Badhey A, Jategaonkar A, Anglin Kovacs AJ, Kadakia S, De Deyn PP, Ducic Y, et al.. Eagle syndrome: A comprehensive review. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2017. PMID 28527976 · DOI
- Johnson F, Semaan MT, Megerian CA. Temporal bone fracture: evaluation and management in the modern era. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2008. PMID 18436001 · DOI
- Quesnel AM, Ishai R, McKenna MJ. Otosclerosis: Temporal Bone Pathology. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2018. PMID 29397947 · DOI
- George AP, De R. Review of temporal bone dissection teaching: how it was, is and will be. J Laryngol Otol. 2010. PMID 19954559 · DOI
- Sood AJ, Lambert PR, Nguyen SA, Meyer TA. Endolymphatic sac surgery for Ménière's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Otol Neurotol. 2014. PMID 24751747 · DOI
- Juliano AF, Ginat DT, Moonis G. Imaging review of the temporal bone: part I. Anatomy and inflammatory and neoplastic processes. Radiology. 2013. PMID 24062560 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.