An electroencephalographic study of glossopharyngeal neuralgia with syncope

In the case described, electroencephalography (EEG) proved valuable for determining the nature of spells of loss of consciousness with brief clonic jerks associated with ear and throat pain. A 70-year-old woman had a history of episodic brief attacks of pain below the right ear and deep in the neck that had started three years previously. The spells became more severe and progressed to loss of awareness associated with clonic jerks of the extremities. Because of a concern that the spells represented seizures, an EEG was performed, with electrocardiographic monitoring. Multiple spells were recorded; they began with profound bradycardia followed by generalized slow-wave activity and then by suppression of all EEG activity correlating with loss of consciousness and clonic jerking. The spells were thought to represent syncopal attacks associated with glossopharyngeal neuralgia.