It depends on the nature of the problem. If it is not life threatening mistake you could always have another surgery. Isaiah just had another one.
So if it is someone you could trust you could have it done where you were born and hope it is enough. Getting a reputable surgeon here in the US doesnt mean you arent going to have problems from the surgery, either.
Also, if you have a vascular problem i believe you have to be more selective.
If I was in Canada and had Vascular Eagles i would be trying to make a case for urgency as it can be life threatening.
For example, your internal carotid artery or internal jugular vein is compressed by the styloid. In my case you can see it in the neutral position so they cant claim it is not happening. Radiologist said something like severely compressed. My Internal carotid is very likely compressed when I move but you dont see it in neutral position.
You can look up research articles on it. They will usually say very rare. There still isnt a consensus on what to call the variations.
There are more surgeons who do "regular " eagle syndrome than ones that will do a surgery involving a compressed jugular.
If you havent put your CT images through a 3d viewer like radiant you should do that. If your saying the report didnt mention it that is not conclusive. It gets missed.
Then once you see with your eyes what it looks like you can ask for a reread. I dont know if Canada allows rereads, second opinions etc.
An alternative is seek a video consult with US doctor who can spot it like Constantino but you should get a quote for cost ahead of time for the consult.
@Luba , youāre posting in the discussion about āNeurosurgeon accepted my caseā, if you scroll up to the top of the discussion, you can read the first few postsā¦
I canāt find any mentions of Dr Violett in old posts, nor are they on our Doctors Listā¦
As @JugularEagle explained, vascular ES is when the blood vessels are compressed by the styloids or ligaments, you can see in a CT scan if you have one with a contrast medium, as the contrast goes through the blood vessels and shows the up well. The styloids donāt show as well with an MRI. But if you donāt have vascular symptoms then itās unlikely you have issues, briefly it would be dizziness, fainting, brain fog, head pressure, pulsatile tinnitus. Thereās more in depth info about it in the newbies Guide Section, hereās a link: ES Information: Common Symptoms And Possible Explanations For Them - Welcome / Newbies Guide to Eagle Syndrome - Living with Eagle
Thank you. My symptoms are - poking into my throat from the right side ( where is that piece is longer), poking into my ears like from the inside. Tingling, dizziness , yes. They come and go. One day ok, one day not. I had CT scan in June and it did not show anything but XRay panoramic shown the styloid process.
Iām a bit behind the times. Iām glad to know thereās now a good viewer for Mac. Previously, the good viewing programs seemed to only be for Windows PCs.
@Luba - I think we have one CA member who saw Dr. Viallet but Iām not sure if he did surgery for that person. Iāll do some searching to see what I can find.
If you had a CT by your dentist, @Luba, it was a CBCT (cone beam CT) & youāll need to get a more extenisve CT scan of your head & neck done though it sounds like you may have done that based on this comment you made:
Was the CT scan of your head & neck down to your hyoid bone? Many radiologists arenāt familiar w/ ES so donāt look for elongated styloid processes in scans. @JugularEagle suggested getting a your CT scan re-read by a radiologist & specifically request the styloid processes to be looked at, measured & commented on.
As @Jules said, a CT with contrast is the best way to see if you have vascular compression being caused by your styloids & possibly other structures in your neck. If you can get it done dynamically - with your head in different positions - turned left/right, looking up/down, etc., it would be even better.
Here are links to a couple of posts about Dr. Viallet -
In the second link, @rachael posted she was having ES surgery w/ Dr. Viallet in 3 months from Jan 2024 which would have been perhaps in April. I donāt believe weāve heard back from her to know how her surgery went.
We highly recommend getting at least 2 opinions from doctors who do ES surgery but 3 is good, too. You could have a consult with all 3 doctors that have been mentioned to you. Since youād like to have surgery sooner than later, you can choose one of the surgeons who has a shorter wait time for an appointment & then surgery.
You can send @rachael a private message to ask how her surgery went. Click on the link I posted above to āLooking for a doctor in Canadaā. Then find rachaelās post & click on her screen name as it appears above her post. That will take you to a page where you can send her a private message.
@Luba - Dr. Cognetti does external surgery but not bilateral. You would have to see him for two separate surgeries if you go to him. Dr. Aghayev in Turkey does bilateral surgery & Dr. Hackman in North Carolina also does bilateral ES surgery. Unfortunately, Dr. Hackmanās fee for bilateral surgery for cash paying patients is over $50K USD.
Thank you so much for clarifying. I am meeting online tomorrow morning with Kazakhstan neurosergeon. My parents got in person appointment with him at 9.30 p.m. their local time. Thatās a lot for my parents to drive 1,5 hour at almost night time to see him in a different city. I will ask him all questions that someone posted here.
Also, contacted Dr. from Turkey. They answered through Whatsapp that the doctor will look at my X ray tomorrow morning.
Dr. Cognetti - I will call tomorrow from my working phone as it has free unlimited US calls. I sent an email to him and left a comment on his website mentioning my email but no luck so far. So will try to call.
Good job, @Luba, for reaching out to these doctors. Please let us know how your appointment w/ the neurosurgeon in Kazakhstan goes tomorrow. I hope you can have an appointment w/ Dr. Aghayev, soon, too.
It sounds like your parents are very supportive of you & want you to get well. Itās very kind of them to make the appointment & to be there with the surgeon when you talk to him. You are very blessed!
Hello dear praying people, not much to say as of today.
Canada - no CT scan unless my family doctor thinks I need one. December 4th appointment with Head and Neck at Health Science Center in Winnipeg
Dr. Cognetti needs my CT scan and if he takes me it will be in April.
Turkey , please see the screenshot. Looks like they can take me anytimeā¦but I need to compare the prices and if I can wait to see my free doctor I will do it.
Kazakhstan - my parents had to stay home as it was blizzard that night. But the doctorās nurse gave me her email and I took time to explain what I need.
Thatās all for now. God helps me every day. Ohā¦forgot to mention my principle is very supportive saying I can have up to 10 weeks of leave fully paid if I need to recover. Thatās wonderful to hear!!!
Thank you again for all your support I will keep you updated as soon as I get more info.
@Luba - What great news that you have an official diagnosis and truly amazing that your employer will give you 10 weeks off paid so you can recover from surgery! That is a gift!!
Iām sorry the appointment in Kazakhstan didnāt work out but am glad your parents chose to stay home and safe in stormy weather, especially since they would have been driving at night.
Part of the reason Dr. Cognetti books out so far is that ES isnāt his area of focus. He is a cancer surgeon first & foremost but makes room once or twice a month to see ES patients & do ES surgeries. We heard at one point he was going to increase the number of days he gives for ES because the number of patients requesting consults & surgery for it is climbing, but we donāt know if heās done that or not. With any medical appointment you make, ALWAYS ask to be put on the doctorās cancellation list because people do cancel, & some of our members have had appointments moved up by several months.
I hope youāre able to see someone in your country so the cost is far less, but if not, you do now have other places you can go for surgery.
Thank you for the update. I will pray for you to know which doctor will be best for you.
I will keep you updated as soon as I get more info.