Hyoid Bone and ES

Symptoms and Treatments
#1

Finally! I mean FINALLY!!! I found that thing behind my jaw called a Styloid Process. Further research and I was sure of ES. Just had a contrast CT that confirmed what I knew was absolute. So here I am. Mine was a long, hard and painful journey. Same as I’ve been reading on all of your posts.

  1. I cant believe the variety and consistency in the pain patterns.
  2. We need to blow our voices out to get attention on this syndrome. But that’s for another post on another thread.
  3. The HYOID BONE:
    I haven’t seen much, in fact maybe no, discussions of the Hyoid Bone. Before I found the Styloid I found the Hyoid. I showed the whole Stylohyoid region as a source of pain to my Doctor, even mentioned the Hyoid directly a few times, but he scheduled me for a CT for soft tissue.
    I waited 3 weeks to get the scan. Through constant research, and in anticipation of having an image I could take around until somebody saw what was going on, I finally discovered the Styloid Process. After tirelessly digging through images and medical abstracts and papers from the best journals, I hit my symptoms perfectly to a T. Eagles Syndrome. Now the CT I was waiting on would absolutely show the elongated Process on my left side. I just got the results of that scan last Wed. I have bilateral ES with presentation on left side (3.8mm)
    I was so pumped up after finding Eagles I forgot about my Hyoid. Eagles should not present a click in your throat when swallowing. Now diagnosed ES, I still have the click. I’ve read 2 studies that concluded Hyoid Bone trauma does lead to a higher instance of ES. Or at least elongated Styloids.
    Has anybody else thought about or researched your own ES with possible Hyoid Bone implications causing your ES or other pain and life regularities (swallowing, speaking…)?
    I’d like to know so that I can ask my doctor to look more closely at the Hyoid.
2 Likes
#2

So glad you’ve found answers! I don’t have scholarly insight to the hyoid bone implications, however I can speak to my experience with ES.

  • I notice a clicking when I swallow, now only on the right as my left styloid was removed in August
  • The clicking varies in intensity and is always worse when I’ve recently fallen (I’m a figure skater so this is a fact of life)
  • Other issues also seem to worsen after a fall (feeling of something stuck in my throat, hoarseness, pain)
#3

Thanks anharris. I hadn’t seen clicking as a symptom, but it seems to be a test they perform to confirm a broken Hyoid. Either way, I’m hopeful it could be the ES. Did the surgery on the left resolve any of your symptoms?

1 Like
#4

Yes - the clicking I mentioned on the right used to be bilateral. I also used to have bilateral tinnitus and now it’s only in the right ear. Everything else is still present, but given that they are whole throat symptoms I’m not surprised.

1 Like
#5

We have had a few members with more hyoid bone issues rather than elongated styloids, & several who’ve had calcified stylo-hyoid ligaments which are either calcified from the hyoid end, or calcified the whole length. One member particularly has clicking problems- she had the ligament calcified from the hyoid up. Surgery helped, but but it didn’t completely disappear from what I remember.
If you search for hyoid bone syndrome, it’ll come up with some discussions.
It’s certainly worth checking that the hyoid bone processes aren’t elongated if you see an experienced doctor, & making sure that there’s no calcification anywhere on the stylo-hyoid ligament too.

#6

@Kingjauz,

Did you end up having ES surgery? If so, who did your surgery? If not, do you have surgery scheduled or are you still looking for an ES doctor? Also, did you get your hyoid bone checked for abnormalities?

#7

So I did ask my head n neck doc to look at the entire Stylohyoid region in a CT scan. Saying from the process to the Hyoid bone. He felt a lump where I told him I thought was an elongated Styloid. He ordered a CT thinking it was cancer. Do they ever listen? They are so ignorant of anything that isn’t prevelant. When the results came back he started explaining Eagle’s and I cut him off and said yes that’s why I went to you. He had no recollection of me mentioning anything about Styloids and Hyoids and ligaments and misdiagnosis of TMD. He felt a lump…lump means cancer. CT for cancer. Luckily, they found the Styloids. However, no mention of Hyoid. So to answer your 1 question with a lengthy pre amble, I will have to ask the Surgeon what he noticed about the hyoid. I’ve been waiting since early last month for my consult with him next month. The wait has been dreadful, but at least I see some light.

1 Like
#8

What a journey! I’m sorry your doctor didn’t take better notes so he could recall your previous conversation about the hyoid & ES. I don’t know if you’ve seen That we added an ES surgeon in NYC to our doctors’ list - Dr. Delacure. If your doctor fails you, & traveling isn’t out of the question, you could contact Dr. D. Perhaps you should anyway for a second opinion. (Hopefully that’s not who you are seeing!)

Please keep us posted as to what you find out. I’m sorry you’ve had to wait so long for further clarification of your CT scan.