Glossary of Terms in Otolaryngology

Trotter’s Syndrome

  • Trotter’s Syndrome, also known as Trotter’s Triad, is comprised of a triad of features which can be seen in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma:
    1. Unilateral conductive hearing loss caused by eustachian tube dysfunction.
    2. Trigeminal neuralgia due to perineural invasion.
    3. Palatal hypomobility due to direct tumour invasion.
  • It was first described by William Trotter in 1911.1
  • Mnemonic: NPC: Neuralgia, Palatal paralysis, Conductive hearing loss.

  1. Asherson, N. “Trotter’s syndrome and associated lesions.” The Journal of Laryngology & Otology 65.5 (1951): 349-366. ↩

Last updated September 29, 2022
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