Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jan;16(1):1-8.
doi: 10.4103/0972-2327.107662.

An uncommonly common: Glossopharyngeal neuralgia

Affiliations

An uncommonly common: Glossopharyngeal neuralgia

P M Singh et al. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is a relatively rare condition characterized by severe, paroxysmal episodes of pain localized to the external ear canal, the base of the tongue, the tonsil or the area beneath the angle of the jaw. This pain is many a times confused with Trigeminal Neuralgia and mistreated. There are various diagnostic and management dilemmas which are herein addressed in this review.

Keywords: Glossopharyngeal neuralgia; glossopharyngeal neuralgia; stylalgia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: Nil

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A stepwise logistic approach for diagnosing glossopharyngeal neuralgia
Figure 2
Figure 2
Orthopantomogram showing bilateral elongation of styloid process[46]
Figure 3
Figure 3
A stepwise logistic approach for the treatment of glossopharyngeal neuralgia
Figure 4
Figure 4
Landmark evaluation for glossopharyngeal nerve block in glossopharyngeal neuralgia

References

    1. Jensen TS, Baron R, Haanpää M, Kalso E, Loeser JD, Rice AS, et al. A new definition of neuropathic pain. Pain. 2011;152:2204–5. - PubMed
    1. International Association for the Study of Pain. Classification of chronic pain.Descriptions of chronic pain syndromes and definitions of pain terms. Pain Suppl. 1986;3:S1–226. - PubMed
    1. Olds MJ, Woods CI, Winfield JA. Microvascular decompression in glossopharyngeal neuralgia. Am J Otol. 1995;16:326–30. - PubMed
    1. Marks PV, Purchas SH. Life-threatening glossopharyngeal neuralgia. Aust N Z J Surg. 1992;62:660–1. - PubMed
    1. Weisenburg TH. Cerebellopontine tumour diagnosed for six years as tic douloureux: the symptoms of irritation of the ninth and twelfth cranial nerves. JAMA. 1910;54:1600–4.