Case Report
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World J Radiol. Jun 28, 2014; 6(6): 388-391
Published online Jun 28, 2014. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v6.i6.388
Myotendinous rupture of temporalis muscle: A rare injury following seizure
Lena N Naffaa, Yasmeen K Tandon, Michael Rubin
Lena N Naffaa, Michael Rubin, Department of Radiology, Akron Children’s Hospital, Akron, OH 44308, United States
Yasmeen K Tandon, Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University-Metro Health Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44109, United States
Author contributions: Naffaa LN, Tandon YK and Rubin M contributed equally to this work; Naffaa LN and Rubin M interpreted images in this study; Tandon YK and Naffaa LN collected the patient’s clinical data; Naffaa LN, Tandon YK and Rubin M analyzed the data and wrote the paper; Naffaa LN, Tandon YK and Rubin M gave final approval of the version to be published.
Correspondence to: Lena N Naffaa, MD, Radiologist, Department of Radiology, Akron Children’s Hospital, 1 Perkins Square, Akron, OH 44308, United States. lnaffaa@chmca.org
Telephone: +1-330-5438275 Fax: +1-330-5433760
Received: March 23, 2014
Revised: April 14, 2014
Accepted: May 8, 2014
Published online: June 28, 2014
Processing time: 97 Days and 13.4 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: We report the unique case of a unilateral temporalis muscle rupture following new onset tonic-clonic seizures in a 16-year-old boy. The favored mechanism in our patient is a pull on the temporalis myotendinous insertion on the mandible following vigorous and brisk deviation of the head and neck during seizure. Although this is a rare entity, it is important to be familiar with such type of injury in a patient who develops unilateral facial swelling and pain following tonic-clonic seizures in order to prevent misdiagnosis and mistreatment.