Abstract Hyoidbonefracturesduetoblunttraumaareexceedingly rare. Here, we present an isolated hyoid bone fracture causedbyblunttraumaaswellasadetaileddiscussionof theinjuryandtreatmentoptions. A 32-year-old male was admitted to emergency department with odynophagia and severe neck pain. Hehadbeenhitintheneckwithametalrodduringa fight. Computed tomography scan revealed a fracture on hyoid bone and local swelling of adjacent soft tissues.Thepatient'sheadwaselevated,andicepacks were used to reduce the swelling. Diclofenac sodium and prednisolone were administered. Patient was discharged with a recommendation of out-patient control. Odynophagia, dysphagia and dyspnoea should alert the physician to possible hyoid or laryngeal damage. Fibre opticlaryngoscopyandneckCTareimportantdiagnostic steps to reveal a possible life-threatening injury. Conservativetreatmentisusuallyadequate,andpatients rarelyrequiresurgicalintervention. Keywords: Hyoidbonefractures,Blunttrauma,Injury. Introduction Blunt neck contusion-related injuries can cause rapid deterioration, and a missed or delayed diagnosis may result in morbidity and mortality. Hyoid bone fractures duetoblunttraumaareexceedinglyrare. 1 Hyoidfractures are seen commonly in hanging or manual strangulation. The rarity of these fractures is related to the protected location of the hyoid bone under the mandible and its abilitytomoveinalldirections. Injurytothehyoidbonecanbeeasilymissedduringan evaluationofassociatedlife-threateninginjuriesordueto an asymptomatic presentation. An open hyoid bone fracture is an indication for surgical exploration. Treatments for closed hyoid bone fractures are conservative. Due to the rarity of this injury, a specific algorithm has not been defined. Here, we present an isolated hyoid bone fracture caused by blunt trauma as wellasadetaileddiscussionoftheinjuryandtreatment options. Case Report A 32-year-old male was admitted to the emergency department (ED) in May 2014 with odynophagia and severe neck pain. He had been hit in the neck with a metal rod during a fight. The patient had local tenderness and mild swelling on the left side of the neck,withnorespiratorydistressorfocalneurological deficits. A neck computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a fracture on the left side of the hyoid bone and local swelling of the adjacent soft tissues (Figure). Fibre optic laryngoscopy revealed symmetric motion of the vocal cords but no signs of laceration or oedema. The patient wasobservedwithmedicaltherapyfor24hoursintheED observationunit.Thepatient'sheadwaselevated,andice packswereusedtoreducetheswelling.Diclofenacsodium (75 mg, intramuscularly) and prednisolone (60 mg, intravenously) were administered. The patient was dischargedwitharecommendationofout-patientcontrol. Vol. 65, No. 11, November 2015 1233 CASE REPORT An isolated hyoid bone fracture caused by blunt trauma to the neck BarisErdogan, 1 MehmetÖzgürErdogan, 2 SahinColak, 3 ÖzgeKibici, 4 KorkutBozan, 5 BarisAlper 6 1 Department of Otolaryngology, Medipol University Esenler Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, 2-4,6 Department of Emergency Medicine, Haydarpasa NumuneTraining and Research Hospital, Istanbul, 5 Departmentof Emergency Medicine, Esenyurt State Hospital, Istanbul,Turkey. Correspondence: Mehmet Ozgür Erdogan. Email: ozgurtheerdogan@mynet.com Figure: Neck computed tomography (CT) scan.