[Short-lived semi-atrophy of the tongue]

The author describes a 47-year-old patient in whom lingual hemiatrophy developed one month after angina. The development of hemiatrophy was preceded by occipital headaches and pain behind the ear on the side of hemiatrophy. In the differential diagnosis the author excluded inflammatory processes neoplasms and developmental anomalies and thinks that the cause of this short-lasting hemiatrophy might have been tonsillitis with compression of the nerve by the oedematous inflamed tissues with action of bacterial toxins on the nerve.