Ideggyogy Szemle
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Introduction - Although the involvement of the hypoglossal nerve together with other cranial nerves is common in several pathological conditions of the brain, particularly the brainstem, isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy is a rare condition and a diagnostic challenge. Case presentation - The presented patient arrived to the hospital with a history of slurred speech and an uncomfortable sensation on his tongue. Neurological examination showed left-sided hemiatrophy of the tongue with fasciculations and deviation towards the left side during protrusion. ⋯ Discussion - Hypoglossal nerve palsy may arise from multiple causes such as trauma, infections, neoplasms, and endocrine, autoimmune and vascular pathologies. In our case, the isolated involvement of the hypoglossal nerve was at the skull base segment, where the damage to the hypoglossal nerve may occur mostly due to metastasis, nasopharyngeal carcinomas, nerve sheath tumors and glomus tumors. Conclusion - Because of the complexity of the region's anatomy, the patient diagnosed with hypoglossal nerve schwannoma was referred for gamma knife radiosurgery.
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Morvan syndrome is a rare disease characterized by peripheral nerve hyperexcitability, encephalopathy, dys-autonomia and significant insomnia. The patient, who was included in the present study, was followed-up at our clinics for confusion, myokymia, hyperhidrosis, epileptic seizures, tachycardia, agitation, hypokalemia, and hyponatremia. The cranial MRI of the patient demonstrated hyperintensities at the T2 and FLAIR sections of the medial temporal lobe and insular lobes. ⋯ Almost full remission was achieved. This very rare syndrome implies challenges in diagnosis and treatment; however, remission can be achieved during the follow-up. In addition, caution is needed in the long-term follow-up of these patients regarding the development of malignancies.