Elongated styloid process (eagle’s syndrome): a case report

Elongated styloid process is an infrequently seen condition which is rather hard to diagnose, causes sore throat, foreign body sensation at deglutition or earache by stimulating the pharynx and cervical nerves. Its pathogenesis and treatment modalities are still being debated while different theories have been presented.

In this case report our aim is to present an infrequent condition which was coincidentally diagnosed.

A 43 year old male patient has referred to our clinic with complaints of mobile teeth and demand of dental implants. In the history he also mentioned slight pain at deglutition in his throat bilaterally which was not diagnosed previously. He had no history of surgery or trauma. A careful clinical examination radiographs and computerized tomography (CT) revealed 44 mm long bilateral styloid processes. Bilateral styloidectomies have been performed by an intraoral approach in a common fashion and the patient healed uneventfully.

The incidence of elongated styloid process has been reported at 4–18% in general population. Bilateral involvement is common but bilateral symptoms are less frequent. In fact, it is reported that this condition is found more often in females and older than 50 years old, but our case was 43 years old male.

Eagle’s syndrome is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to those of other pathologies from areas in addition to the oral and maxillofacial area. Clinical and radiographic examinations including CT are often necessary to exclude other entities with similar manifestations. Treatment options must be carefully evaluated for each case.

Conflict of interest: None declared.

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Feb 5, 2018 | Posted by in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery | Comments Off on Elongated styloid process (eagle’s syndrome): a case report

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