title: Complete ossification of the stylohyoid chain as cause of Eagle's syndrome: a very rare case report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report on a patient with Eagle's syndrome with a complete and very large ossification of the stylohyoid complex on the right side that to our best knowledge has never been published previously.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Eagle's syndrome is characterized by a set of symptoms that are caused by the irritation of the neurovascular and soft-tissues caused by an elongated styloid process or ossification of stylohyoid ligament.
  
  
  METHODS
  Because of the high discomfort and pain degree as well as limitations of mandibular and head mobility and also the thickness of the ossifed stylohyoid chain, the patient was treated surgically by removing the hypertrophic segment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These symptoms subsided completely after the surgical excision of the anomaly. The elongated styloid process on the left side was symptom free.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Eagle's syndrome symptoms are not specific and can mimic those of other disorders, the syndrome must be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with pain in the orofacial, pharyngeal and cervical area.
authors.affiliation: Professor and Head, Department of TMD and Orofacial Pain Clinical, Dental Research Institute, Sao Leopoldo Mandic, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antônio Sárgio
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Medicine University of Porto, Porto, Portugal, e-mail: dhpozza@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniel Humberto
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Pozza
authors.affiliation: Dentist, Department of TMD and Orofacial Pain Clinical, Dental Research Institute, Sao Leopoldo Mandic, Brazil.
authors.forename: Idercy Cabral
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: de Castro
authors.affiliation: Professor and Head, Department of Morphology, Universidad Diego Portales Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Ivén Claudio Suazo
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Galdames
authors.affiliation: Retired Professor and Head, Department of Masticatory Disorders, Center of Dental Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Palla
mesh_terms: D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004433:Earache / Q000175:diagnosis; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008022:Ligaments / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D009999:Ossification, Heterotopic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000002:abnormalities*; D013706:Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods