I have been having various issues with my throat, tension, pain when moving my neck, sensation of something stuck in my throat, voice problems and headaches.
I went to the dentist because I thought I had TMJ issues, but they said it would be worth getting a CT Scan to have a look at my styloid to see if they are pressing on nerves. I didn’t ask the Dentist any other questions because I didn’t know what Eagle Syndrome was or anything about styloid. She was quite vague and didn’t mention if I had any styloid issues from the X Ray.
Briefly looking into styloid process this may answer my voice issues. Since losing my voice over three years ago, I have noticed that whenever I have inflammation in my throat, or when I had my teeth cleaning - and my gum/mouth inflamed it felt like I had relief at the top of my throat, and I was able to speak more clearly. - I read that inflammation can slightly move or alleviate the area around the styloid. I am by no means educated in this topic because it’s something I am completely new with. - So any info is greatly appreciated.
I’m not sure what to look for, but I wondered if anyone can see anything potentially wrong with my styloid from the x-ray photos or if they look normal? Is it worth getting a ct scan ?
Both of your styloids make it to at least C1, so I suspect they can cause some irritation to nerves and maybe even cause some IJV compression. A CT with contrast would be best to assess further. I’d also be curious to get a look at your hyoid bone, given your voice and throat symptoms. Styloids can cause these symptoms but hyoid bone can too. Hope this helps.
Also, as a fellow Canadian, I am BEYOND shocked that a Canadian dentist raised concerns regarding ES. Not many health professionals know anything about it in this country.
Good that your dentist mentioned ES, but a shame it wasn’t looked in to & pursued… I’ve invited you to the Canadian members private message thread we have as well, which might be helpful, you just have to accept the email inviting you.
Thank you so much for pointing out my styloid and for mentioning this. I feel like I might actually be close to getting some answers for my voice. When I lost my voice, I lost my job and lost a lot of social aspects in my life and even if it’s a small chance this might all be connected, I feel happier I am closer to getting answers or ruling it out.
I got a refferal from my Doctor today and I’m booking in a CT scan for two weeks time, so I am looking forward to seeing what they say.
I’m new to this website too, so I am looking forward to reading peoples stories and looking through all the information.
Thank you for helping me and thank you for highlighting the area. It’s very interesting that you can have voice problems from this. Losing my voice three years ago, ‘Eagle Syndrome ‘ never came up in my research or was mentioned by a doctor so it will be very interesting to see if this is the reason for my voice. I got a refferal from my Doctor and plan on booking my ct scan for two weeks time, so I am looking forward to potentially getting some answers.
Yes the Doctor specifically told me I needed one with contrast and 3d viewing to see my styloid and the area around it. He also wants to view the reat of my spine/neck to see if there are any other issues with any other bones in that area.
Thank you. In all honesty I didn’t really ask any questions when she mentioned my styloid area because I didn’t know what she was talking about. I never heard of my styloid bones before that conversation. It wasn’t until after the dentist appointment when I googled it, I realised that alot of my symptoms where on this list. Mr brain starting putting pieces together and symptoms that I have had over the last couple years and it all started to make sense. I feel like this might be an answer. Very keen and interested to see my ct scan results. Thank you for your help
@Happyface12e - You can also post your CT images here like you did w/ your panoramic x-ray & we can give our opinions as to what we see. It’s best to post them on the main forum as you’ll get more input that way.
Here’s a video a German gal did about her ES journey. It’s on YouTube. She’s even done a Ted Talk about her experiences with ES. We have a number of other members who’ve lost their voices as an ES symptom & did have them recover post op but it took some months after the styloids were cut back for their voices to return.
Can anyone please send me the link of all the surgeons there are that people recommend. I remember I came across a list on this website but can’t seem to locate the list anymore. Thank you.
I need to let you know that there aren’t many doctors in your country who do ES surgeries so many of our members from there have traveled to the US for their surgeries. We have one doctor on the list for the US who’s surgical fee is lower than most others - Dr. Cognetti in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. If there isn’t a doctor close to you, he’s worth considering if you can travel. He’s booking into next year though, March I think, for an initial consult.
Amazing thank you so much. Although I have been living in Canada, I don’t have citizenship here yet. I came back to England to have my Ct Scan, so I am either looking to have it done in the UK or Turkey as i don’t have medical insurance for the USA or Canada. A few doctors i have messaged in the UK have availability for next year, but I wanted to see if there was any availability this side of Christmas. Thanks Again.
Hi @Happyface12e do you access to your CT scan, can you post some images. I am also UK based and have consulted Mr Hughes & Mr Axon privately, but am now waiting for my appointment through the NHS at Addenbrookes. Depending on your situation with regards to if you have any vascular compression and what is causing it, can help you choose the right consultant for surgery. Other members can give you an opinion on what they see from your CT which may help.
Hello. Yes i do have access to it. Although they did it on a website and I’m unsure if I can download them so I screenshot some of the pictures. My styloid measure at 3.5cm and 3.8cm so not the biggest, I am 4.11ft so don’t know if that makes a difference with the size. But I do still feel like they are causing me issues.
Your styloids are certainly long enough to potentially cause symptoms! And are a bit thick at the top which can sometimes make symptoms worse too… What are your ES symptoms, do you have any vascular symptoms , or the ‘classic’ ES ones like trouble swallowing, or both? If you have vascular symptoms this would make a difference with which doctor you see; here’s a link to the info about symptoms:
Thank you for the information. I would say I definitely have both, normal symptoms and vascular symptoms. Not sure if related but I also lost my voice about 4 years ago and never fully recovered it (which is a huge concern for me), with all the typical symptoms of feeling like there is a lump in my throat, migraine, vertigo, lots of heart palpitations and problems with my vagus nerve, vision problems, numbness in limbs. A long list of symptoms like everyone I can imagine. Originally thought it might be TMJ issues.
I don’t know if you can tell from the Ct scan but I think the nerves are affected based on the symptoms but I think I would need a mri to confirm this?
Most people go by symptoms; nerves don’t show on a CT. There is a special MRI called a FIESTA MRI / Ciss MRI which is more detailed & shows nerves, but not many places do this.
If you suspect you have VES, then Dr. Kamran Aghayev - https://kamranaghayev.com or Mr Axon at Addenbrooks might be the best ones to contact.
Yes @Happyface12e it sounds like you have vascular & nerve symptoms. If you can find a couple of further axial slices, I have attached mine for reference. The C1 vertebrae (bone with wings) and the hyoid (horseshoe shaped bone), if you can go to the tips (greater horns). We have a member @TML who is really good at reading these and hopefully he will be able to give you his opinion.
