Cranial nerve paralysis is an uncommon complication
of radiotherapy for head and neck carcinomas
because cranial nerves are relatively resistant to
radiation. The incidence of this complication has
been declared to be 1-5% in different studies. Unlike
the other cranial nerves, isolated hypoglossal nerve
paralysis in patients who have been treated with
radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinomas is a
worrisome sign of recurrence. We report a 45-year-old
male patient admitted to our clinics with complaints of
difficulty in moving his tongue and dysphasia five
years after combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy
for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Recurrence of the
tumor was thought to be the cause of the isolated
hypoglossal nerve paralysis at first, however late
toxicity of radiotherapy was found to be the etiological
factor after detailed examinatons.
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Anahtar Kelimeler: Nervus hipoglossus paralizisi; nazofarenkskanseri; radyoterapi.