Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia‐Asystole Syndrome Secondary to Parapharyngeal Space Lesions

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia has been reported in association with asystole, bradycardia, and convulsions secondary to a variety of causes. Two cases of glossopharyngeal neuralgia‐asystole syndrome in association with ipsilateral lesions of the parapharyngeal space are described. A pathogenetic mechanism is proposed in which parapharyngeal space lesions induce neural irritation of the glossopharyngeal afferent pain fibers and reflex afferents within the nerve of Hering to produce the syndrome. The diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas posed by these patients are discussed.