Eagle syndrome

Eagle syndrome (also termed stylohyoid syndrome styloid syndrome, styloid-stylohyoid syndrome, or styloid–carotid artery syndrome) is a rare condition commonly characterized but not limited to - sudden, sharp nerve-like pain in the jaw bone and joint, back of the throat, and base of the tongue, triggered by swallowing, moving the jaw, or turning the neck. Since the brain to body's nerve connections pass through the neck; many seemingly random symptoms can be triggered by impingement or entanglement. First described by American otorhinolaryngologist Watt Weems Eagle in 1937, the condition is caused by an elongated or misshapen styloid process (the slender, pointed piece of bone just below the ear) and/or calcification of the stylohyoid ligament, either of which interferes with the functioning of neighboring regions in the body, giving rise to pain.Radiograph, lateral view showing elongated stylohyoid process and stylohyoid ligament ossificationRadiograph, lateral view showing joint-like formation in ossified stylohyoid ligamentCT scan, coronal section showing bilateral extended styloid process and stylohyoid ligament ossification (incidental finding)3D-reconstructed CT scan showing bilateral stylohyoid ligament ossification3D reconstructed CT scan showing elongated styloid process (right side) Eagle syndrome (also termed stylohyoid syndrome styloid syndrome, styloid-stylohyoid syndrome, or styloid–carotid artery syndrome) is a rare condition commonly characterized but not limited to - sudden, sharp nerve-like pain in the jaw bone and joint, back of the throat, and base of the tongue, triggered by swallowing, moving the jaw, or turning the neck. Since the brain to body's nerve connections pass through the neck; many seemingly random symptoms can be triggered by impingement or entanglement. First described by American otorhinolaryngologist Watt Weems Eagle in 1937, the condition is caused by an elongated or misshapen styloid process (the slender, pointed piece of bone just below the ear) and/or calcification of the stylohyoid ligament, either of which interferes with the functioning of neighboring regions in the body, giving rise to pain.