Tomoyuki Naito, Keisuke Onoda*, Junpei Kato, Tomihiro Wakamiya, Yuhei Michiwaki, Kimihiro Nakahara, Tatsuya Tanaka, Takashi Agari, Takashi Sugawara, Kazuaki Shimoji, Eiichi Suehiro, Hiroshi Itokawa and Akira Matsuno

Department of Neurosurgery, International University of Health and Welfare, School of Medicine, Narita Hospital, Chiba, Japan

*Corresponding Author: Keisuke Onoda, Department of Neurosurgery, International University of Health and Welfare, School of Medicine, Narita Hospital, Chiba, Japan.

Received: May 07, 2024; Published: June 17, 2024

Abstract

Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia (GPN) is characterized by excruciating pharyngeal-glottal pain that often radiates to the ipsilateral ear. The main cause of this condition is thought to be the contact and compression of blood vessels in the root entry zone of the glossopharyngeal nerve (GN). In rare cases, arachnoid adhesions can occur without vascular compression. Here, we report a case of GPN caused by adhesions without vascular compression in which IN was added to the dissection.

The patient was a 49-year-old woman who presented with typical GPN; however, no compression vessels were found on preoperative radiological examination. After obtaining informed consent, surgery was performed using the right retrosigmoid approach. The surgery revealed an adhesive deformity of the GN. After dissection of the adhesions, internal neurolysis (IN), which physically places a longitudinal groove on the nerve was performed. The surgical results were excellent, without postoperative complications.

Previously, GPN has been reported to be caused by arachnoid adhesions without vascular compression, and surgical indications should be carefully considered when the patient presents with typical symptoms, even when there is no obvious responsible vessel on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Furthermore, IN, which is occasionally used to treat trigeminal neuralgia without vascular compression, is also feasible for the glossopharyngeal nerve.

 Keywords: Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia; Arachnoid Adhesions; Retrosigmoid Approach; Vascular Compression; Trigeminal Neuralgia

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Citation

Citation: Keisuke Onoda., et al. “Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia without Vascular Compression: A Case Report”. Acta Scientific Neurology 7.7 (2024): 45-48.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2024 Keisuke Onoda., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.