Article Text
PDF
Summary
Isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy is uncommon because of its intimate relationship with the other lower cranial nerves.⇓ Keane reported that tumours, predominantly malignant, were the most common cause of hypoglossal nerve palsy.⇓ We report a case of isolated idiopathic unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy in a 45-year-old Caucasian male where no cause could be identified despite extensive investigations. There was uncertainty around prognosis at onset due to the rarity of this condition. In the absence of a cause, an early referral to the speech and language therapist was made and interestingly our patient made an almost complete recovery within 18 months of onset. In a small case series, it has been reported that though rare, idiopathic hypoglossal nerve palsy has an excellent outcome in most cases, similar to the more common idiopathic seventh cranial nerve palsy (Bell’s Palsy).⇓We recommend an early referral for physiotherapy in such cases.
- neurology
- cranial nerves
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Footnotes
Contributors BG, IAC and NK contributed to this case report by reviewing the patient case notes, engaging in literature search relevant to the case. BG and IAC contributed to the writing of the draft version and reviewing the final version. NK contributed to discussing and writing of the case report. UN was involved in the initial brief involvement in the management of the case in medical emergency department, providing guidance and supervision to writing of the case report in addition to editing the draft version to produce the final version in agreement with other co-authors.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.