Korean J Spine.  2013 Dec;10(4):249-251. 10.14245/kjs.2013.10.4.249.

Tapia Syndrome after Cervical Spine Surgery

• Kang JH
• Kim DM
• Kim SW

• KMID: 1916607
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14245/kjs.2013.10.4.249

Abstract

Tapia syndrome is a rare entity characterized by unilateral paralysis of the tongue and vocal cord caused by Xth and XIIth cranial nerve lesions. However, there has been no report of Tapia syndrome immediately following spine surgery. A 47-year-old man underwent posterior decompressive laminectomy for cervical stenosis. The surgery took about 117 minutes and it was uneventful. Postoperatively he developed hoarseness of voice during speech, with deviation of tongue protrusion. On laryngoscopic examination, paralysis of the left side of the tongue and the soft palate was found and complete palsy of the left vocal cord was noted. After excluding surgical cause and craniocervical lesion, a clinical diagnosis of Tapia syndrome was made. Here we report a rare case of Tapia syndrome developed after posterior approach for cervical spine surgery and discuss the possible mechanisms of this uncommon syndrome.

Keyword

Cranial nerve palsy; Tapia syndrome; Spine surgery

MeSH Terms

Constriction, Pathologic
Cranial Nerve Diseases
Cranial Nerves
Diagnosis
Hoarseness
Humans
Laminectomy
Middle Aged
Palate, Soft
Paralysis
Spine*
Tongue
Vocal Cords