Isolated paralysis of glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve associated with type II occipital condyle fracture: case report

Abstract

Isolated 9th and 10th cranial nerve palsies following OCF are very rare. To our knowledge, we report the first case of an early onset of 9th and 10th cranial nerve palsies with an early full recovery in short period of time and discuss the probable mechanism of isolated nerve palsy in the light of the relevant literature.

Delayed onset vagus nerve paralysis after occipital condyle fracture in a horse

“…Most of these clinical signs are frequently identified in human patients with LCNPs associated to OCF . However, few case reports describe an isolated impairment of the CNX in people . It is not clear whether there was impaired CNIX function in the present case.…”

“…In addition, the fractured occipital condyle was displaced rostral and ventrally, in contact with the dorsal aspect of the medial compartment of the right guttural pouch. Direct nerve compression by the displaced bone fragment could have also played a role . A combination of both mechanisms could have contributed significantly to the delayed onset CN damage observed in this horse.…”

“…In human patients, OCF can be complicated with LCNPs . Several clinical syndromes are recognized in humans depending on which CNs were simultaneously implicated .…”

“…In the case described in this report, damage to the CNX could explain neurological signs such as dysphagia, right laryngeal paralysis, dysphonia, and lack of a gag reflex. Most of these clinical signs are frequently identified in human patients with LCNPs associated to OCF . However, few case reports describe an isolated impairment of the CNX in people .…”

Occipital condyle fracture as a rare cause of shoulder pain

“…The anatomical localization of the OCF is closely related to the complaint and clinical findings of the patient on admission. Patients with OCF may present either with complaints such as headache, neck pain, limitation of the occipitocervical movements, acute torticollis, respiratory failure due to retropharyngeal hematoma and alteration in the mental status, or secondary to trauma without any complaints [2][3][4][5]. In our case, the patient was admitted to our ED due to shoulder pain due to motor vehicle accident.…”