Case of the Week
Section Editors: Matylda Machnowska1 and Anvita Pauranik2
1University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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August 10, 2009
Eagle Syndrome
- "Eagle syndrome" describes symptoms caused by an elongated styloid process and/or calcification of a part or entire stylohyoid ligament.
- First reported by Dr. Watt Eagle in 1937, but anatomist Pietro Marchetti of Padua described ossification of the stylohyoid ligament in 1652.
- The styloid process is a cylindrical osseous projection of the temporal bone anteromedial to the stylomastoid foramen, is attached to the tip of the styloid process and extends to the lesser cornu of the hyoid bone. An elongated styloid process is defined as 3 cm or longer.
- Classic stylohyoid syndrome is persistent unilateral pharyngeal pain, aggravated by swallowing and frequently reverberating in the ear. Vascular form is caused by impingement of the cervical internal carotid artery by the styloid process.
- Styloid process elongation is most often bilateral, but symptoms are usually unilateral.
- Heterotopic calcification of soft tissue structures is quite common in patients with end-stage renal disease and has been linked to this disorder.
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