J Korean Pain Soc.  2003 Jun;16(1):88-91.

Superior Laryngeal Neuralgia: A case report

• Park JS

Abstract

Superior laryngeal neuralgia is a rare disease that is characterized by paroxysms of lancinating pain at the side of the thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone. The pain radiates into the angle of the mandible, but rarely to the ear. The trigger zone is usually in the larynx, with the pain being triggered by talking, swallowing, yawning or coughing. A 45 year old male patient presented with paroxysms of severe pain in the unilateral hypothyroid membrane above the thyroid cartilage. The lancinating electrical shock-like pain was controlled by the diagnostic blockade of the superior laryngeal nerve for three hours. He was administered carbamazepine and gabapentin, and became pain-free within four weeks. The pain was controlled by this pharmacological treatment for one year, with no observed side effects of the drugs treatment.

Keyword

Carbamazepine; Gabapentin; Superior laryngeal neuralgia

MeSH Terms

Carbamazepine
Cough
Deglutition
Ear
Humans
Hyoid Bone
Laryngeal Nerves
Larynx
Male
Mandible
Membranes
Middle Aged
Neuralgia*
Rare Diseases
Thyroid Cartilage
Yawning
Carbamazepine