Acute tongue swelling, the only initial manifestation of carotid artery dissection: a case report with differentiation of clinical picture.

While it is well known that carotid artery dissection can cause hypoglossal palsy, which can cause muscle atrophy and fat tissue replacement in the chronic stage but what is less well known is the acute edematous stage, which can mimic tongue angioedema. We present a case report of a 52-year-old man presented to accident and emergency department with 3 hr history of right-side tongue swelling. He was initially diagnosed with angioedema and treated with corticosteroids and antihistamines. His tongue swelling persisted and subsequently developed unilateral weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging scan of the tongue, head, and neck revealed denervation of the right half of the tongue because of injury to hypoglossal nerve during extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) dissection. There was no evidence of ischemic complication of right cerebral artery distribution. He was commenced on antiplatelet therapy to prevent cerebral ischemia as a prophylactic measure. Swelling and weakness of the tongue subsided in the following months. We believe that hypoglossal palsy caused by ICA dissection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients who present with acute tongue swelling.