A Possible Case of Eagle’s Syndrome from an Italian Ossuary (Chiavari, GE)

Abstract

Eagle’s syndrome is a rare condition associated with the temporal styloid process hypertrophy (Eagle, 1937). It is in most cases asymptomatic, but may be accompanied by dysphagia, pharyngeal or head and neck pain due to neurovascular structure compression. The current study aims to present and discuss the etiology of a possible case of Eagle’s syndrome from an Italian ossuary. Skull OC 002/08 shows a unilateral hypertrophic styloid process (48 mm long; 5-7 mm thick). Areas of remodel-ed periosteal swelling are visible at the stylohyoid and stylopharyngeus muscles’ insertion, along with evidence of healed trauma to both nasal bones and a depressed fracture on the upper left portion of the frontal. Several factors have been proposed as possible causes of styloid elongation, including anatomical variation, aging and trauma. Evidence of unilateral styloid hypertrophy in association with healed cranial trauma in OC 002/08 suggests a traumatic etiology for the condition.