12th nerve palsy in a woman with extracranial internal carotid artery aneurysm

A 12th nerve palsy with no or only few symptoms is rare due to its close location to other structures. The majority of 12th nerve palsies are due to malignancies. In this case report, a 45-year-old woman was admitted to neurological services with a right-sided 12th nerve palsy. An MRI of the brain and the carotid arteries with angiogram revealed an aneurysm in the extracranial part of the right internal carotid artery close to the hypoglossus canal. The aneurysm measuring 10 × 6 × 5 mm was stented and coiled. At telephone follow-up three weeks after coiling, the patient was asymptomatic.