Abstract
Blankenship LD, Basford JR, Strommen JA, Andersen RJ. Hypoglossal nerve palsy from cervical spine involvement in rheumatoid arthritis: 3 case reports. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83:269-72. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) involvement of the cervical spine is a well-known but perhaps underappreciated phenomenon. Neurologic complications of this involvement include pain, myelopathy, and cranial nerve (CN) palsies. However, hypoglossal nerve palsy (CN XII) is rarely diagnosed. Mechanical nerve injury, either from vertical odontoid subluxation or pannus formation, is the suspected mechanism. We present 2 cases of hypoglossal nerve palsy attributed to cervical spine involvement of RA and 1 case of postoperative tongue weakness after cervical fusion in a patient with long-standing RA. These cases show a potentially devastating complication of RA that may be underdiagnosed. Therapy involving the cervical spine must be prescribed with caution in this patient population. © 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
