Perioperative Anesthesia Management in a Patient With Eagle’s Syndrome

Abstract

Eagle syndrome, a prolonged styloid syndrome, is a clinical disorder caused by an elongated, enlarged, and angulated styloid process. Most of the cases are asymptomatic. Symptomatic cases are presented as continuous, intermittent pain in the face and anterolateral neck region, depending on position; reflected pain may be seen in the ipsilateral ear and temporomandibular joint. Patients with a bilateral prolonged styloid process may present unilateral complaints. Symptoms can manifest themselves with foreign body sensations in the throat, episodes of dysphagia, and syncope. Syncope episodes are one of the most serious clinical manifestations of the syndrome and are called ‘Carotid-Styloid Syndrome’. Patient anamnesis and physical examination are the most important steps for diagnosis. Palpation of the styloid process in the tonsillar fossa is a clue for Eagle syndrome. Imaginary examinations should confirm the diagnosis. The local anesthetic injection technique into the tonsillar fossa can be used for differential diagnosis. The reduction of post-injection pain is a finding favoring Eagle’s syndrome. Furthermore, surgical and medical methods can treat Eagle’s syndrome. In this article, the perioperative anesthesia management of a 38-year-old woman with Eagle syndrome planning to undergo axillary lymph node biopsy in Ondokuz Mayıs University Hospital is presented as a case report. © 2022 Ondokuz Mayis Universitesi. All rights reserved.