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

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.