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Lower cranial nerve syndromes: a review

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review encompassing the syndromes associated with the lower cranial nerves (LCNs). We will discuss the anatomy of some of these syndromes and the historical contributors after whom they were named. The LCNs can be affected individually or in combination, since the cranial nerves at this level share their courses through the jugular foramen and hypoglossal canal and the extracranial spaces. Numerous alterations affecting them have been described in the literature, but much remains to be discovered on this topic. This paper will highlight some of the subtle differences among these syndromes. Symptoms and signs that have localization value for LCN lesions include impaired speech, deglutition, sensory functions, alterations in taste, autonomic dysfunction, neuralgic pain, dysphagia, head or neck pain, cardiac or gastrointestinal compromise, and weakness of the tongue, trapezius, or sternocleidomastoid muscles. To assess the manifestations of LCN lesions correctly, precise knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the area is required. Treatments currently used for these conditions will also be addressed here. Effective treatments are available in several such cases, but a precondition for complete recovery is a correct and swift diagnosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia

    Santiago Gutierrez

  2. Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George’s University, St. George’s, Grenada

    Tyler Warner & R. Shane Tubbs

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Tulane University School of Medicine, 131 S. Robertson St. Suite 1300, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Erin McCormack, Cassidy Werner, Mansour Mathkour, Joe Iwanaga, Aaron S. Dumont & R. Shane Tubbs

  4. Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ankara, Ankara, Turkey

    Aysun Uz

  5. Department of Neuroscience, Ankara University Graduate School of Health Science, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

    Aysun Uz

  6. Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    R. Shane Tubbs

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Correspondence to Joe Iwanaga.

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The protocol of the study did not require approval by the ethical committees or informed consent. The study followed the Declaration of Helsinki (64th WMA General Assembly, Fortaleza, Brazil, October 2013).

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Gutierrez, S., Warner, T., McCormack, E. et al. Lower cranial nerve syndromes: a review. Neurosurg Rev 44, 1345–1355 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10143-020-01344-w

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