Internal jugular vein stenosis associated with elongated styloid process: five case reports and literature review

BACKGROUND: Internal jugular vein stenosis (IJVS), characterized by a series of clinical manifestations, such as head and neck symptoms, visual and ear symptoms, as well as sleep disorder, has been receiving attention in recent years. However, its’ etiologies are not fully understood. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a cases series of IJVS induced by styloid oppression. We define it as the stylo-jugular type of Eagle syndrome (ES). CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals that external oppression, especially by styloid process, is an important etiology of IJVS. The stylo-jugular ES diagnosis can be identified by Computed tomography venography. Whether stylo-jugular ES can be corrected by styloidectomy requires further investigation.