Bilateral Eagle Syndrome: Is Simultaneous Resection of the Elongated Styloid Process a Preventive Option?

Eagle initially described the syndrome in 1937 [ 1 ] and refined its clinical characteristics in 1948 [ 2 ]. It occurs due to elongation of the styloid process, usually exceeding 3 cm, or ossification of the stylohyoid ligament [ 3 , 4 ]. From a clinical point of view, two types of symptoms are recognized due to impingement of either neural or vascular structures. The vascular variant, referred to as stylocarotid syndrome, develops when the elongated styloid process irritates or compresses the internal carotid artery (ICA), potentially resulting in dissection, pseudoaneurysm formation or embolic stroke [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ].