Extraoral Approach for Bilateral Styloidectomy on a Patient with Eagle syndrome from Hospital San José, Chile: Case report and updated Review on Eagle’s Syndrome Literature

José Miguel López Valladares; Carlos Omar Jiménez Cofré; Mónica de la Fuente Escalona; Denise Jiménez Valiente & Macarena Salas Martínez

Summary

Eagle syndrome is a rare anatomical condition characterized by elongation of the styloid process, usually due to ossification of the stylohyoid ligament. Clinically, it presents as a long history of recurrent cervicofacial pain, treated by multiple specialists and through various therapeutic strategies, characterized by pharyngeal foreign body sensation, trismus, dysphagia, otalgia, tinnitus, difficulty with phonation and reduced mobility of the neck. The average length of the styloid process is 2.5 cm. The etiology of the syndrome is poorly understood. Diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion, based mainly on history and physical examination confirmed with computed tomography (CT) or panoramic radiography. Once the elongation has been identified, the patient may receive conservative or surgical treatment depending on the severity of the symptoms. Conservative management includes physical therapy, infiltration with local anesthetics or corticosteroids, and treatment with anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, or antidepressant drugs. Surgical management consists of fracturing the styloid process under general anesthesia, through transoral or transcervical approaches. In this paper we present a case of a female patient who consulted for recurrent bilateral cervicofacial pain in the Head and Neck and Maxillofacial Surgery service of San José Hospital in Santiago and an updated review on Eagle’s syndrome literature, focused on relevant clinical aspects such as diagnosis and treatment.

KEY WORDS: Eagle syndrome, chronic cervicofacial pain, tilohioid ligament osification, Stiloid process.

How to cite this article

LÓPEZ, V. J. M.; JIMÉNEZ, C. C. O.; DE LA FUENTE, E. M.; JIMÉNEZ, V. D. & SALAS, M. M. Extraoral approach for bilateral styloidectomy on a patient with eagle syndrome from Hospital San José, Chile: Case report and updated review on Eagle’s syndrome literature. Int. J. Odontostomat., 17(1):3-8, 2023.