Eagle Syndrome

Comment

Comment by Nadi Nasib Al-Karmi on August 15, 2009 at 3:46pm

Eagle syndrome is an aggregate of symptoms that includes recurrent throat pain, foreign body sensation, dysphagia, and/or facial pain as a direct result of an elongated styloid process or calcified stylohyoid ligament.
Although approximately 4% of the population is thought to have an elongated styloid process, only a small percentage (between 4% and 10.3%) of this group is thought to actually be symptomatic
Diagnosis is made both radiographically and by physical examination. Palpation of the styloid process in the tonsillar fossa is indicative of elongated styloid in that processes of normal length are not normally palpable. Palpation of the tip of the styloid should exacerbate existing symptoms
The actual cause of the elongation is a poorly understood process. Several theories have been proposed: 1) congenital elongation of the styloid process due to persistence of a cartilaginous analog of the stylohyal (one of the embryologic precursors of the styloid), 2) calcification of the stylohyoid ligament by an unknown process, and 3) growth of osseous tissue at the insertion of the stylohyoid ligament.
Treatment of Eagle syndrome is both surgical and nonsurgical.