To the Editor:
The neck-tongue syndrome (NTS) is a rare clinical entity characterized by paroxytic episodes of intense pain in upper cervical or occipital area associated with disorders of ipsilateral hemi-tongue presenting as numbness, pseudoathetosis, dysarthria, and lingual paralysis aggravated with neck movement1,2. We describe a case of NTS with an unusual etiology.
A 74-year-old woman presented with severe pain at the back of the neck that improved spontaneously within 2 weeks. During this time she developed dysarthria and was observed to have a left-sided lingual paralysis. Systemic enquiry was unremarkable. No other focal neurological abnormality was detected. She had marked nodal osteoarthritis in her hands and her cervical …
Address reprint requests to Dr. S. Wig, Department of Rheumatology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK. E-mail: surabhiwig{at}gmail.com