After being diagnosed with Eagle's Syndrome my wife went to a oral surgeon to have surgery to shorten the styloid process. The surgeon was unable to remove the portion ofthe process due to surrounding nerves, so he just broke the process and moved it to one side. The results of the surgery was no improvement. We can still feel the styloid process with a digital examination very prominently. It appears that the styloid may have reattached? We feel that this method was perhaps not the correct procedure. Do you know of any other cases where a simple fracture of the styloid process instead of a removal was used and what were the results?
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Eagle's syndrome refers to a head and neck pain syndrome that is felt to be related to elongation of the styloid process or ossification of the stylohyoid ligament which impinges on the glossopharyngeal nerve and classically causes one sided intermittent stabbing, occasionally excrutiating pain in the throat. If such symptoms are clearly associated with a palpable elongation or protrusion of the styloid process, or ossification of the stylohyoid ligament, and if non-surgical treatments have failed, traditionally excision or fracturing of the styloid process are performed. Unfortunately, surgical intervention does not always alleviate the symptom complex.
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Steve Dankle, MD
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Milwaukee, Wis
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