Jugular foramen syndrome explained

Jugular foramen syndrome, or Vernet's syndrome, is characterized by paresis of the glossopharyngeal, vagal, and accessory (with or without the hypoglossal) nerves.^{[1] [2]}

Symptoms

Symptoms of this syndrome are consequences of this paresis. As such, an affected patient may show:

• dysphonia/hoarseness
• soft palate dropping
• deviation of the uvula towards the normal side
• dysphagia
• loss of sensory function from the posterior 1/3 of the tongue (CN IX)
• decrease in the parotid gland secretion (CN IX)
• loss of gag reflex
• sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles paresis (CN XI)

Causes

• Glomus tumors (most frequently)
• Meningiomas
• Schwannomas (Acoustic neuroma)
• Metastatic tumors located at the cerebellopontine angle
• Trauma
• Fracture of occipital bone
• Infections
• Cholesteatoma (very rare)
• Obstruction of the jugular foramen due to bone diseases
• Nasopharyngeal carcinoma spreading into the parapharyngeal space involving the ninth, tenth, and eleventh cranial nerves

Diagnosis

• Gadolinium enhanced mri for vestibular schwannoma
• mri and biopsy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma
• based on nerve palsies
• NCCT for occipital bone fracture

Notes and References

1. Jugular foramen syndrome caused by choleastatoma . 10.1016/j.clineuro.2004.08.006 . Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery . June 2005 . 107 . 4 . 342–346 . Erol . Fatih Serhat . Kaplan . Metin . Kavakli . Ahmet . Ozveren . M. Faik . 15885397 .
2. Book: Quinones-Hinojosa. Alfredo. Schmidek and Sweet Indications, Methods and Results (Expert Consult - Online and Print). 2012. Elsevier Health Sciences. London. 9781455723287. 2337. 6th.