Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia with Syncope Caused by Neurovascular Compression and Demonstration by High-Resolution MR Imaging: A Case Report

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia with syncope is a rare syndrome. It is characterized by paroxysms of neuralgic pain in the throat and pharynx, and is associated with transient loss of consciousness caused by brief periods of cardiac arrhythmia. Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is caused by neoplasm, infection, vascular malformation, or neurovascular compression. Herein, we present a rare case of glossopharyngeal neuralgia with syncope, which was caused by an extrinsic compression of lower cranial nerves in the right cerebellomedullary cistern by the ipsilateral posterior inferior cerebellar artery. In this case, high-resolution MR imaging played a key role in the diagnosis of neurovascular compression induced glossopharyngeal neuralgia. KCI Citation Count: 0