I wanted to give an update on my situation after having my second consult with Dr. deSilva today. I’m posting this information as it may be very helpful for people who are searching for answers for their pain and have been told they don’t have Eagle’s Syndrome. I was diagnosed with hyoid bone syndrome and the symptoms can be similar to that of Eagle’s syndrome. I’ve attached an image from my neck CT that shows the right hyoid bone coming into virtual contact with the transverse process of the cervical spine. Dr. deSilva said it’s particularly problematic with me having a very thin neck. He mentioned the typical pain patterns of HBS but also stated the position of my hyoid bone could be rubbing on the carotid artery as well.
So, the plan is for a lidocaine/kenalog injection next week, and then hyoid bone reduction in 3-4 weeks. The only thing I didn’t like is that he said he will remove the whole greater horn of the hyoid, as opposed to just trimming the size of the greater horn. I’ll have to investigate that further.
mm…interesting. Did you ask him why trimming is not an option. He is surgeon and I am pretty sure he has his reasons. Sometimes remaining portions of the bone can in theory cause issues as well.
There was a case similar to yours I read before but she had a bulky hyoid and it was resected (not sure if they removed all horn). I WARN you though, the study contains graphic images of the surgery
I didn’t ask Dr. deSilva about trimming vs. removal of the greater horn. But it is definitely a topic I’ll bring up. I’m certain he does have his reasons. He’s pretty experienced with this procedure.
@1speechpick - YIKES! Sounds scary to have one full greater horn removed like it would throw your hyoid out of balance. Definitely worth talking to Dr. DeSilva about before he does the surgery. Being able to find & talk to a few people who’ve had this done to see how their results were would be ideal, but I’m not sure how you’d go about that w/ HIPPA laws being what they are.
I did confirm with Dr. deSilva that he would remove the entire right greater horn instead of resecting just a portion of it. I’m not sure how I feel about that, and certainly need to do further research. I thought he would only reduce the hyoid to a “normal” size.
