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SURGICAL TREATMENT OF GLOSSOPHARYNGEAL NEURALGIA: A 10 YEAR EXPERIENCE
Author(s) -
Rychlicki F.,
Morabito L.,
Dobran M.,
Mora A.,
Pauri F.,
Ricciuti R.A.,
Trignani R.,
Veronesi V.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of the peripheral nervous system
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1529-8027
pISSN - 1085-9489
DOI - 10.1046/j.1529-8027.2002.7011_41.x
Subject(s) - medicine , surgery , trigeminal neuralgia , glossopharyngeal nerve , microvascular decompression , rhizotomy , jugular foramen , percutaneous , decompression , neuralgia , anesthesia , neuropathic pain , skull , dorsum , anatomy , stimulation , vagus nerve
First described by Weisenburg in 1910, glossopharyngeal neuralgia is paroxysmal, lighting, excruciating pain referred to the posterior lingual region, tonsillar pillar, throat, external auditory canal and pinna. It is much less frequently encountered than trigeminal neuralgia with a reported relative frequency of the order of 1%. It is often secondary to neoplastic processes of the oropharyngeal region but can also be caused by mechanical compression of abnormal vessels on the nerve root. Less frequently it is of essential or idiophatic origin. Between 1990 and 2000, operations were performed at our Institute on 3 patients, all women ranging in age from 61 to 80 years, with glossopharyngeal neuralgia. All the patients had been taking caramazepine with only temporary initial improvement and in 2 cases parenteral feeding had been necessary before admission. The first 2 patients were submitted to percutaneous thermocoagulation rhizotomy of the inferior petrous ganglion of Andersch at the jugular foramen, the third to open procedure consisting in vascular decompression of the ninth nerve in posterior fossa. The follow‐up ranges from 2 to 10 years. The results were excellent or very good in all cases at the time of evaluation. The authors emphasize the role of surgical therapy in glossopharyngeal neuralgia when medical therapy fails.