2023 Volume 126 Issue 7 Pages 838-843
Stylohyoid syndrome is a rare syndrome that presents with a variety of symptoms and is often difficult to diagnose and treat. We reviewed the background characteristics and outcomes of 10 patients with stylohyoid syndrome who underwent surgical treatment. Six patients underwent surgery via extraoral access (7 sides) and 4 patients underwent surgery via intraoral access (4 sides), and the improvement rates were 67% and 75%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between the preoperative length of the styloid process and the symptom improvement rate. Although surgical treatment may be useful for patients with stylohyoid syndrome, since it is difficult to predict cases that will not respond to surgery before the surgery, a thorough preoperative explanation is necessary. In cases in which the surgical treatment was unsuccessful, there may have been an element of nociplastic pain, characterized by altered nociceptive function.
