Bilateral Tapia syndrome in teenager with post traumatic Hangman's fracture and carotid artery dissection

Francesco Perrotta; Donato Piscopiello; Gaetano Iosa; Daniele Gemma; Daniela Rizzo; Francesca De Salvo; Davide D'Antini; Emanuele Scarano; Fabio Colonna

doi:10.1016/j.tcr.2024.101029

Bilateral Tapia syndrome in teenager with post traumatic Hangman's fracture and carotid artery dissection

Trauma Case Rep. 2024 Apr 8:51:101029. doi: 10.1016/j.tcr.2024.101029. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Authors

Francesco Perrotta¹, Donato Piscopiello¹, Gaetano Iosa¹, Daniele Gemma¹, Daniela Rizzo¹, Francesca De Salvo¹, Davide D'Antini¹, Emanuele Scarano¹, Fabio Colonna¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Azienda Ospedaliera "Cardinale Giovanni Panico", Tricase, Lecce, Italy.

Abstract

Background: Tapia syndrome (TS) is a rare condition characterized by unilateral hypoglossal and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, leading to tongue deviation, swallowing difficulty and dysphonia.

Case report: We describe a case of a 17-year-old boy who reported a bilateral TS following head and neck trauma with Hangman's fracture and right common carotid artery dissection. The confirmation occurred only after complete cognitive and motor recovery, verifying the inability to protrude the tongue and swallow, associated with complete paralysis of the vocal cords, diagnosed with fiber optic laryngoscopy.An initial recovery of tongue motility and phonation occurred after just over a month of rehabilitation.

Conclusion: In addition to the lack of awareness due to the rarity of the syndrome, the diagnosis of TS may be delayed in patients who are unconscious or who have slow cognitive recovery following head trauma. The case we present may help to increase awareness and avoid unnecessary diagnostic investigations.

Keywords: Hangman's fracture; Head trauma; Neck trauma; Tapia syndrome.

Publication types

Case Reports