This 43-year-old woman presented with throat discomfort, describing it
as if “something was stuck in my throat,” with painful neck rotation,
and some discomfort during swallowing.
This 43-year-old woman presented with throat discomfort, describing it as if “something was stuck in my throat,” with painful neck rotation, and some discomfort during swallowing.
DIAGNOSIS
Eagle’s syndrome
• can involve elongation of the styloid process and stylohyoid ligament ossification or calcification
• may possess one or more articulations
• most common in patients with mucopolysaccharidoses and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH)
• can cause compression of the glossopharyngeal nerve (a type of entrapment syndrome)
• provides radiographic evidence of mineralization of the stylo-hyoid-stylomandibular ligament complex
• is more frequent in women
POSSIBLE CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS
• usually an incidental finding
• sharp, intermittent pain along the glossopharyngeal nerve
• pain in the throat; ear pain; vertigo; dizziness; tinnitus; voice alteration; cough; sinusitis; sensation of a “lump” in the throat; dysphagia; pain on opening the mouth; pain on turning the head; pain on the side of the face; or, fracture of ossified ligament may occur
TREATMENT OPTIONS
• soft diet
• use of an intraoral splint
• physiotherapy
• cortisone injections and anti-inflammatory medication (only short-term pain benefit)
• injections of local anesthetics at the ligament insertion
• surgical resection of the elongated styloid process or ossified ligament may be the only treatment that alleviates the symptoms•
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