26th June 2023

A 55-year-old man presents with a 5-day history of a sudden onset unilateral posterior neck pain and unilateral earache

A 55-year-old man presents with a 5-day history of a sudden onset unilateral posterior neck pain and unilateral earache. He also has dysarthria and a sensation of heaviness in his tongue. On examination, you find a unilateral deviation and atrophy of the tongue as follows:

Tongue deviation

Where is the most likely location of the lesion causing such a manifestation?