Successful Management of Eagle Syndrome in a Patient With Repeated Office-Based, Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Blocks: A Case Report

Eagle syndrome is a form of glossopharyngeal neuralgia, usually seen in older adults and characterized by pain in the throat, side of the face, and neck due to an elongated styloid process or calcified stylohyoid ligament. This condition can be managed with multimodal analgesia by multidisciplinary teams and may require surgical intervention for definitive relief. A 65-year-old female presented to the pain management clinic with chronic recurrent left-sided submandibular and neck pain. The pain was moderate in intensity (numeric rating scale (NRS) 5/10), episodic, sharp, burning, and electric shock-like in nature, and was associated with coughing and swallowing. She obtained only temporary and partial relief from medications. Her symptoms were successfully managed with repeated office-based ultrasound-guided glossopharyngeal nerve blocks using 3 ml of 0.25% ropivacaine and 4 mg dexamethasone. Significant improvement was maintained for approximately three months after the procedure.