However, the
tonsillar area is especially prone to bleeding because of its rich vascular supply.
A well defined lobular swelling was also noticed on the
tonsillar area.
Lymph from the
tonsillar area drains primarily to the jugulodigastric nodes.
Nine patients had a primary tumor at the base of the tongue, five had a primary tumor in the
tonsillar area, and three had a tumor that affected both sites.
(4) The diagnosis of Eagle's syndrome is made by radiographic imaging and by physical examination when an elongated and calcified stylohyoid ligament can be palpated in the
tonsillar area. In the case illustrated here, the heavily calcified and thickened stylohyoid ligament was clearly identified on digital scout radiography (figure 2) prior to CT, as well as on axial images (figure 1).
Physical examination revealed that the patient had a noncrepitant, nonfluctuant, erythematous submandibular and facial edema, along with a spontaneous fistula through the upper pole of the
tonsillar area on the right.