Would a CT Scan of the Neck (Soft Tissue) with contrast show the styloids?
A CT Neck (Soft Tissue) is an exam that takes very thin slice (3.5mm) images of the neck, starting from just above the ears and ending just below the clavicles (collar bone). This allows more accurate diagnosis of conditions involving areas such as the nasal passages, mouth, throat, thyroid, and parotid glands.
Yes it would show the styloids & would also show if you have vascular compression as it will show the vascular tissues in the area around your styloids. Depending on who you’re seeing for ES, several of the more experienced surgeons prefer the CT to be w/o contrast.
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I want to make sure that I get the correct test. I
You’re most welcome! Glad to help.
Yes, I was diagnosed with ES from a CT neck scan with contrast. Good luck for you.
Hi sorry but I can’t seem to type my own post, I seem to be locked out. Anyway I have a question if anyone knows, is the calcification in our necks an indication of too much calcium in the body and is it the same calcium build up we get in our heart arteries? I don’t mean from food sources but actual calcium levels in the body?
Hi July123,
That’s a good question & one for which we don’t have an exact answer. Most people who have ES seem to have normal blood calcium levels, but there has been an occasional forum member who had higher than normal levels. Usually high blood calcium is an indicator of a parathyroid problem or something else, but I suppose it’s possible the calcium could deposit out of the blood into places it doesn’t belong. Not sure what the mechanism for that happening would be though.
I had a CT scan earlier this year to check for calcification in my heart & none was found. I’m happy to report I have a healthy heart. 
Yeh I’ve had ct of heart too and all clear although I do have a problem where my heart arteries briefly contract and spasm and causes chest pain. I’ve been put on a calcium channel blocker tablet because that’s the mechanism for the contractions to stop calcium ions going through the vessels. So I was wondering if there is a connection my calcified styloids are huge!! and they’re the only two things wrong with me that happened around the same time.
There have been other people on this forum who had to go on beta blockers or other meds of that type due to heart issues. In some cases, the meds were able to be stopped once the styloid(s) were removed as they were definitely what was causing the problem. I had blood pressure problems that stopped after my first ES surgery. My blood pressure would drop during hard aerobic exercise leaving me dizzy & breathless for a few minutes. It was kind of scary. Others have had the opposite where blood pressure becomes elevated seemingly w/o cause. Both cases have been reduced or cured by having the styloids &/or ligaments removed.