Posts Tagged ‘facial pain’
What is Trigeminal Neuralgia?
Trigeminal neuralgia is an extremely painful inflammation of the trigeminal nerve causing facial pain. Symptoms remain confined to the trigeminal nerve distribution (mostly to the second or third branch of one side). Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition that occurs most frequently in adulthood and more women. Spontaneous remissions may present for several months.
It is a paroxysmal pain lasting few seconds often caused by an external stimulus in the territory of a branch of the trigeminal, no neurological deficit. Trigeminal neuralgia, also called tic douloureux is probably more intense acute pain known. Affects regions of the face innervated by the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V) following, typically, the distribution of this nerve branches do in their path.
Trigeminal Neuralgia: Symptom and Diagnosis
SYMPTOMS
Trigeminal neuralgia is characterized by momentary episodes of stabbing facial pain, sudden, intense and usually starts on one side of the mouth to later run into the eye, ear or nostril ipsilateral.
DIAGNOSIS
Special features of trigeminal pain usually allow the diagnosis and differentiate it from other causes of facial pain.
The neurological examination usually shows no abnormalities except in patients of trigeminal neuralgia secondary to another condition, such as multiple sclerosis or neoplasm brain stem.
When trigeminal neuralgia occurs in young people is necessary to carry out studies to rule out MS.
Tomography and imaging studies in classical trigeminal neuralgia are normal. But when there is damage, it can be detected by MRI.