Physicians disagree about the best surgical treatment for patients with idiopathic neuralgias of the glossopharyngeal and vagal nerves after medical treatment has failed. Some favor percutaneous thermal rhizotomy, and other prefer extracranial section of the glossopharyngeal or branches of the vagal nerve, intracranial section of the glossopharyngeal and upper vagal rootlets, or microvascular decompression. However, the results of these procedures are limited to series with follow-up periods of less than 5 years or to series with longer follow-ups that were performed before the microneurosurgical era. We reviewed the long-term results of 14 patients with vagoglossopharyngeal neuralgia treated surgically at our center between 1976 and 1987 to determine the best treatment. Sixteen procedures were performed: 2 percutaneous thermal rhizotomies; 2 extracranial sections of the superior laryngeal nerve; and 12 intracranial glossopharyngeal and upper vagal rhizotomies, 4 with and 8 without microvascular decompression. The follow-ups ranged from 4 to 17 years (mean, 10 yr). All 14 patients who underwent percutaneous or intracranial rhizotomies were pain free. Two patients who underwent percutaneous rhizotomies developed persistent dysphagia and hoarseness. Both patients who underwent extracranial nerve section experienced pain recurrence 2 and 4 years later. Of 12 patients who underwent intracranial section of the glossopharyngeal and upper vagal rootlets, 2 developed dysphagia, which resolved completely in 1 patient and persisted mildly in the other; 1 had transient hoarseness; and 2 developed frequent coughing episodes, which persisted in 1 patient and resolved completely in the other. Side effects due to motor vagal deficits may be eliminated by intraoperative monitoring.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)