[Unilateral isolated paralysis of the soft palate: a case report and a review of the literature].

INTRODUCTION: Unilateral isolated paralysis of the soft palate is a rare clinical entity. CASE REPORT: We describe the case of a 12 year old girl who presented acute dysphagia, a nasal voice and regurgitation of liquids into the nose. Exploration revealed right velopalatine insufficiency with normal gag reflex and pharyngeal sensitivity. All the complementary studies, including magnetic resonance, lumbar puncture and viral serology tests, were normal. There are 28 similar cases in the literature, with the following characteristics: acute onset, appearing in infancy (96%), predominance in males (79%), recent respiratory infection (35%) and an excellent prognosis for recovery (85%).
CONCLUSION: This is probably a case of acute cranial mononeuropathy with a viral aetiology