Elongated and mineralized stylohyoid ligament complex: a proposed classification and report of a case of Eagle's syndrome.

A classification of the radiographic appearance of elongated and mineralized stylohyoid ligament complexes based on three types of complexes--Type I, elongated; Type II, pseudoarticulated; and Type III, segmented--is proposed. These types are further described by a pattern of calcification: calcified outline, partially calcified, nodular, and completely calcified. The classification is illustrated in a case of Eagle's syndrome in a 55-year-old Mexican-American man with symptoms of chronic otalgia and cephalgia. The surgical management and follow-up of this patient are discussed.