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Eagle’s Syndrome

  • Sine qua non Radiology-Pathology
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Head and Neck Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Eagle’s Syndrome (ES) refers to a symptomatic anomaly due to elongation of the styloid process or mineralization of the styloid complex. If not diagnosed timely and treated properly, elongation of the styloid process or the hyper-mineralization of the stylohyoid ligament may eventually lead to complete ossification of the stylohyoid complex. Non-specific head and neck symptoms of the ES may pose diagnostic challenges to the clinician. Therefore it is crucial to include ES among differential diagnosis when evaluating patients with similar head and neck symptoms. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, treatment plan should be tailored in accordance with the individual requirements of the case and performed without delay. Both pharmacological and surgical methods have been described for the treatment of the patients with ES. However for those who suffer from persistent symptoms, surgical removal of the elongated styloid process is the treatment of choice and can be done with an intraoral or an extraoral approach. The aim of this work is to present unusual clinical symptoms and radiologic findings of ES due to complete ossification of the stylohyoid complex. The importance of a correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment are highlighted.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Baur is a paid consultant for Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Checkpoint LLC and Dr. Altay has provided consultancy for Checkpoint Surgical LLC in 2014. Other authors disclose no financial or personal relationships with other people or organizations. There was no grant support for this study. The final version of the manuscript has been seen and approved by all authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nile Medical College, National Ribat University, Khartoum, Sudan

    Imad Elimairi

  2. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospitals/Case Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Dale A. Baur & Faisal A. Quereshy

  3. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey

    Mehmet Ali Altay

  4. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dental Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 2124 Cornell Road, Cleveland, OH, 44106-4905, USA

    Mehmet Ali Altay

  5. Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Amritha Minisandram

Authors
  1. Imad Elimairi
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  2. Dale A. Baur
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  3. Mehmet Ali Altay
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  4. Faisal A. Quereshy
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  5. Amritha Minisandram
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Correspondence to Mehmet Ali Altay.

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Elimairi, I., Baur, D.A., Altay, M.A. et al. Eagle’s Syndrome. Head and Neck Pathol 9, 492–495 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-014-0599-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-014-0599-4

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