Glossopharyngeal neuralgia

Need to know

• Symptoms of glossopharyngeal neuralgia icon plus

  Symptoms of glossopharyngeal neuralgia are often triggered by swallowing, coughing or laughing. They include:

  • an electric shock or burning sensation
  • pain on one side of the throat, lasting days or weeks
  • a sense that a sharp object is stuck in the throat

• Diagnosis icon plus

  Your consultant neurosurgeon will discuss your symptoms with you and help to make a diagnosis.
  
  The symptoms of glosspharyngeal neuralgia are characteristic and are sufficient to make the diagnosis without the need for many tests, although an MRI scan will be requested to check for compression — either by a nerve or tumour.
  

   

• Potential treatment options icon plus

  The intense pain caused by glossopharyngeal neuralgia can be managed through medication.
  
  If this fails, microvascular decompression surgery is an option. Here, Teflon wool is placed between the blood vessel and the nerve, so that the nerve is no longer compressed. The nerve is accessed behind the ear in a procedure called a craniectomy.
  
  You will usually be discharged from hospital after two to three days.