Objective: To investigate the feasibility of the endoscope-assisted styloidectomy.
Methods: Sixty patients with Eagle's syndrome undergoing the endoscope-assisted styloidectomy via postauricular incision, including 7 unilateral and 53 bilateral, between June 2010 and March 2013 were reviewed.
Results: The styloid processes in all patients were resected successfully via this approach, with the incision length range of 2.0 to 2.5 cm. The mean operative time was (21.3 ± 4.8) min(X(-) ± s), for unilateral surgery and (48.5 ± 11.4) min for bilateral surgery. Fifty-four patients symptom showed complete remission of symptom, 3 cases with decrease in symptom and other 3 cases with no significant relief of symptom after surgery. None case recurred for follow-up of 3 to 70 months. There were 3 sides with ear numbness after surgery for 3 months, and one case had transient facial paralysis and recovered after 3 months.
Conclusions: The endoscope-assisted styloidectomy via postauricular incision is effective and feasible.