Neurologic syndromes of the head and neck

Although patients with Bell palsy and trigeminal neuralgia occasionally present to primary care physicians, most of the syndromes in this article are somewhat rare in primary care practice. It is important to recognize signs and symptoms of these syndromes so that appropriate management is carried out. Patients may experience sensory and/or motor symptoms of the head and neck due to disorders of the cranial and cervical nerves. The syndromes and symptoms discussed in this article include ear pain, sinus pain, herpes zoster (HZ) oticus (Ramsay Hunt), HZ ophthalmicus, facial nerve paralysis in adults and children, superior laryngeal neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, nervus intermedius (geniculate) neuralgia, and Raeder paratrigeminal syndrome.