• John William Blackett, Daniel J Ferraro, John J Stephens, Joshua L Dowling, and Jerry J Jaboin.
• Department of Radiation Oncology, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University Medical School, 4511 Forest Park Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63108, USA. jjaboin@radonc.wustl.edu.
• J Med Case Rep. 2012 Oct 2; 6: 333.

UnlabelledIntroductionEagle syndrome is a condition characterized by an elongated (>3cm) styloid process with associated symptoms of recurrent facial or throat pain. In this report we present a case of Eagle syndrome exhibiting the typical findings of glossopharyngeal nerve involvement, as well as unusual involvement of the trigeminal nerve. Notably, this patient developed a classical trigeminal neuralgia post-styloidectomy.Case PresentationA 68-year-old Caucasian woman presented with a 25-year history of dull pain along the right side of her throat, lateral neck, and jaw. Her symptoms were poorly controlled with medication until 15 years ago when she was diagnosed with Eagle syndrome, and underwent a manual fracture of her styloid process. This provided symptomatic relief until 5 years ago when the pain recurred and progressed. She underwent a styloidectomy via a lateral neck approach, which resolved the pain once again. However, 6 months ago a new onset of triggerable, electric shock-like facial pain began within the right V1 and V2 distributions.ConclusionsEagle syndrome is distressing to patients and often difficult to diagnose due to its wide variability in symptoms. It is easily confused with dental pain or temporomandibular joint disorder, leading to missed diagnoses and unnecessary procedures. Pain along the jaw and temple is an unusual but possible consequence of Eagle syndrome. An elongated styloid process should be considered a possible etiology of dull facial pain in the trigeminal distributions, in particular V3.

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