Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysm Presenting as Lower Cranial Nerve Palsies

The signs of lower cranial nerve palsies are rare and are often caused by tu-mors. A 49-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with progressive right -sided atrophy of the tongue, sternocleidomastoid and trapezius, dysarthria, and dysphagia for 3 years. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed a circular lesion adjacent to the lower cranial nerves. Cerebral angiography confirmed that the lesion was an unruptured aneurysm in the C1 segment of the right internal carotid artery. After endovascular treatment, the symptoms of this patient had partially improved.

Automated summary

Lower cranial nerve palsies are rare and often caused by tumors. A 49-year-old woman presented with progressive right-sided atrophy of the tongue, sternocleidomastoid and trapezius, dysarthria, and dysphagia for 3 years. Imaging revealed a circular lesion adjacent to the lower cranial nerves, which was confirmed to be an unruptured aneurysm in the C1 segment of the right internal carotid artery. Partial symptom improvement was achieved after endovascular treatment.