A Case of Co-existing Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia and Trigeminal Neuralgia that developed by Different Mechanisms

Abstract

  Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is rare, and there are even fewer reports of its coexistence with trigeminal neuralgia. Vascular compression theory, wherein normal vessels are in contact with and compress the root entry zone (REZ), is the hypothesized cause of this pathology. According to this theory, the nerve sheath of the REZ thins out at its transition point from the brainstem, and the physical stimulation of this segment results in neuralgia. We describe a case in whom glossopharyngeal neuralgia was caused by a cyst at the cerebellopontine angle. In this rare case, concomitant glossopharyngeal and trigeminal neuralgia were caused by different mechanisms.