A rare case of severe hypertension following unilateral iatrogenic glossopharyngeal nerve injury during tonsillectomy.

Iatrogenic injuries of the nervus glossopharyngeus are usually seen during procedures such as tonsillectomy, adenectomy, carotid endarterectomy, and endotracheal intubation due to its close anatomical neighborhood. Damage to the nervus glossopharyngeus is characterized by specific and nonspecific symptoms such as sensory deficits, especially in the posterior 1/3 of the tongue and soft palate, sore throat, swallowing disorder, and decreased parotid gland secretion. The glossopharyngeal nerve has a close anatomical relationship with the palatine tonsil and is at risk during tonsillectomy. Thus, otolaryngologists are advised to perform tonsillectomy with minimal damage to the tonsil bed to minimize the risk of nerve injury. In our literature review, we found one case of hypertension due to bilateral glossopharyngeal nerve injury caused by tonsillectomy but no case of hypertension due to unilateral iatrogenic glossopharyngeal nerve injury. We report a case of hypertension due to unilateral iatrogenic glossopharyngeal nerve injury after tonsillectomy, which has never been encountered before.