Asymptomatic eagle’s syndrome – a rare case report

Eagle’s syndrome is a condition where stylohyoid ligament gets calcified causing an elongation of the styloid process. In 1937, W. W. Eagle first summarised this disorder describ¬ing clinical findings related to an elongated styloid process. Review of literature suggests 4% of the adult population shows an elongated styloid process with 0.16% being symptomatic. It may develop inflammatory changes or impinge on the adjacent arteries or sensory nerve endings causing pain in the cervical region upon head movement. Other subjective symptoms include dysphagia, pharyngeal foreign body sensation and headache. It can be diagnosed with careful clinical evaluation and confirmed with radiographs showing an elongated styloid process. Severity of subjective symptoms dictates the need for surgical excision of the styloid process otherwise reassurance is the primary mode of management. Here, we report a rare case of elongated styloid processes bilaterally in a 52-year-old male.