Lower cranial nerves (LCN) include paired 9th (glossopharyngeal), 10th (vagal), 11th (accessory) and 12th (hypoglossal) cranial nerves. Amongst these, particularly the 9th, 10th, and 12th cranial nerves are involved in the accomplishing crucial physiological functions like swallowing, tasting, speech, heart rate and blood pressure control, and peristalsis. This article discusses some of the diseases that are associated with lower cranial nerves. The lesions of lower cranial nerves result due to various causes which need to be differentiated in order to optimize the management.
Causes of LCN lesions can be classified as genetic, vascular, traumatic, iatrogenic, infectious, immunologic, metabolic, nutritional, degenerative, or neoplastic. Treatment of LCN lesions depends on the underlying cause. An effective treatment is available in the majority of the cases, but a prerequisite for…
