World Neurosurg
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Glossopharyngeal, nervus intermedius and vagus neuralgias can all present with ear pain. However, to our knowledge, there have been no reports of otalgia as the only symptom of vagus neuralgia. The seventh, ninth and tenth cranial nerves have many interneural connections and the exact anatomy and pathophysiology of these neuralgias is often not clear. ⋯ We report two cases of external auditory canal pain that continued following microvascular treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Intraoperatively and at secondary operation, the posterior inferior cerebellar artery was found to be adherent and to penetrate between the fibers of the vagus nerve. Following microvascular treatment of the vagus nerve, the pain resolved.
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Schwannomas and meningiomas are relatively common tumors of the nervous system. They have been reported in the literature as existing concurrently as a single mass, but very rarely have they been shown to present at the craniocervical junction. ⋯ These tumors can be solitary or mixed masses, and are known to be associated with certain disease processes such as long-term sequelae of radiation therapy and neurofibromatosis type 2. The precise mechanism behind the formation of these tumors is unknown; however, molecular cues in the tumor microenvironment may play a role.