S. M. Shamrani, BDS, MS*
King Saud University, College of Dentistry, P.O.Box 58270, Riyadh 11594, Saudi Arabia.

Eagle's Syndrome can be diagnosed easily if the clinician gives a high consideration to the his­ tory, clinical examination and radiographic interpretation.

The styloid process develops from the second branchial arch. Ossification of the stylohyoid liga­ ment was first reported in 1652 by Marchetti.1 Most investigators consider the normal length of the2-3 In 1937, Eagle2 presented the first two cases of symptomatic elongated styloid process. Eagle's syndrome, named after him, is characterized by vague facial pain, dysphagia, otalgia, sensation, or the feeling of a foreign body in the throat and dis­ comfort along the path of the internal and external carotid arteries.4-5
Messer and Abramson5 recommended surgical removal of the elongated styloid process while others recommended injection of a steroid solution at the lesser horn of the hyoid or the inferior aspect of the tonsillar fossa.6
The case described in this paper was diagnosed as an Eagle's syndrome three years after the onset of symptoms.
Case Report
A 47-year-old edentulous Saudi female patient was referred to the Specialist Clinic in the College of Dentistry, King Saud University with a chief com­ plaint of pain on swallowing during movement of her head, and with opening of her mouth. The pain started three years previously after she had received her maxillary and mandibular dentures. The patient had been edentulous for five years. Intraoral examination revealed pain bilaterally when the tip of the finger was inserted into the ton­ sillar fossa with the mouth opened. No other intra­ oral abnormality was detected. Panoramic radiog­ raphy revealed bilateral elongation of the stylohyoid processes which were approximately
4.5 centimeters in length (Fig. 1).
Based on history, clinical and radiographic examinations, a definitive diagnosis of Eagle's syn­ drome was made for this case and surgical removal of the elongated styloid processes was performed. Examination of the patient's dentures showed that only a reiining was necessary and that the dentures were not the cause of her dysphagia.

Diagnosis of an elongated styloid process can be readily made if the clinician pays careful attention to this entity during clinical examination and radiographic interpretation. Clinical examination for this patient and the given history did not differ from the history given by other reported cases.4,5 Panoramic radiographic examination, which reve­ als elongation of styloid process, confirms the diag­ nosis of this case as an "Eagle's Syndrome".
This case emphasizes the importance of panoramic radiographs in facilitating the detection of hidden pathological conditions which can other- wise not be detected easily with routine intraoral radiographs