Trigeminal neuralgia and persistent idiopathic facial pain (atypical facial pain)

2022 ◽  
pp. 101302
Author(s):  
Gary W. Jay ◽  
Robert L. Barkin
Author(s):  
Paul Davies

Facial pain occupies the area below the orbitomeatal line, above the neck and anterior to the pinnae. It comes in many forms and may or may not be accompanied by other symptoms. It may be acute, subacute, or chronic, arise from local pathology (e.g. dentition, parotid gland, sinus), be referred from other structures (e.g. pain behind the eye may be due to cervical spondylosis or sphenoidal sinusitis) or be part of a neurological syndrome such as trigeminal neuralgia or persistent idiopathic facial pain (previously termed atypical facial pain). There is a wide differential diagnosis. As with headache, serious causes are rare. Some benign conditions are particularly painful (trigeminal neuralgia, cluster headache) but have effective treatment.


2000 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan S Gordon

Practitioners are often presented with patients who complain bitterly of facial pain. The trigeminal nerve is involved in four conditions that are sometimes mixed up. The four conditions - trigeminal neuralgia, trigeminal neuropathic pain, postherpetic neuralgia and atypical facial pain - are discussed under the headings of clinical features, differential diagnosis, cause and treatment. This article should help practitioners to differentiate one from the other and to manage their care.


Cephalalgia ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Kuncz ◽  
E Vörös ◽  
P Barzó ◽  
J Tajti ◽  
P Milassin ◽  
...  

To evaluate whether NC could be demonstrated preoperatively, high-resolution magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) was performed in 287 consecutive patients with TN and persistent idiopathic facial pain (PIFP) on a 0.5-T and a 1-T MR unit. Depending on the clinical symptoms, the TN cases were divided into typical TN and trigeminal neuralgia with non-neuralgic interparoxysmal pain (TNWIP) groups. Microvascular decompression (MVD) was performed in 103 of the MRA-positive cases. The patients were followed up postoperatively for from 1 to 10 years. The clinical symptoms were compared with the imaging results. The value of MRA was assessed on the basis of the clinical symptoms and surgical findings. The outcome of MVD was graded as excellent, good or poor. The clinical symptoms were compared with the type of vascular compression and the outcome of MVD. The MRA image was positive in 161 (56%) of the 287 cases. There were significant differences between the clinical groups: 66.5% of the typical TN group, 47.5% of the TNWIP group and 3.4% of the PIFP group were positive. The quality of the MR unit significantly determined the ratio of positive/negative MRA results. The surgical findings corresponded with the MRA images. Six patients from the MRA-negative group were operated on for selective rhizotomy and no NC was found. Venous compression of the trigeminal nerve was observed in a significantly higher proportion in the background of TNWIP than in that of typical TN on MRA imaging (24.1% and 0.8%, respectively) and also during MVD (31.2% and 1.2%, respectively). Four years following the MVD, 69% of the patients gave an excellent, 23% a good and 8% a poor result. The rate of some kind of recurrence of pain was 20% in the typical TN and 44% in TNWIP group. The rate of recurrence was 57% when pure venous compression was present. The only patient who was operated on from the PIFP group did not react to the MVD. The clinical symptoms and preoperative MRA performed by at least a 1-T MR unit furnish considerable information, which can play a role in the planning of the treatment of TN.


1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 1968-1968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masako Iseki ◽  
Hiromasa Mitsuhata ◽  
Yutaka Tanabe ◽  
Toyo Miyazaki

Author(s):  
Aydin Gozalov ◽  
Messoud Ashina ◽  
Joanna M. Zakrzewska

Orofacial pain is a complex problem and affects up to 7% of the population. Although trigeminal neuralgia has been considered the prime neuralgic condition in the facial region, other forms of neuropathic pain are now being more frequently recognized and require recognition and a different management approach. Many patients with chronic orofacial pain report numerous comorbidities, such as psychiatric or personality disorders, which significantly affect management. Various pain conditions present in the facial region. Some of them rarely present extra-orally (unless as radiating pain) such as atypical odontalgia or persistent dento-alveolar pain disorder and burning mouth syndrome, whereas others will present in both areas such as classical trigeminal neuralgia, post-traumatic trigeminal neuropathy, trigeminal neuropathy attributed to multiple sclerosis, and persistent idiopathic facial pain. Myofascial pain syndrome related to the muscles of mastication is very common and may also be associated with temporomandibular joint problems. Trigeminal neuralgia and the rarer glossopharyngeal neuralgia are similar in quality and characteristics with specific treatment modalities, but differ in pain location. Trigeminal neuropathic pain is caused most frequently by trauma. If no other diagnostic criteria are fulfilled, a diagnosis of persistent idiopathic facial pain is made. It is crucial for these patients to be managed by multidisciplinary teams.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5;16 (5;9) ◽  
pp. E537-E545
Author(s):  
Mark C. Kendall

Background: Patients presenting with facial pain often have ineffective pain relief with medical therapy. Cases refractory to medical management are frequently treated with surgical or minimally invasive procedures with variable success rates. We report on the use of ultrasound-guided trigeminal nerve block via the pterygopalatine fossa in patients following refractory medical and surgical treatment. Objective: To present the immediate and long-term efficacy of ultrasound-guided injections of local anesthetic and steroids in the pterygopalatine fossa in patients with unilateral facial pain that failed pharmacological and surgical interventions. Setting: Academic pain management center. Design: Prospective case series. Methods: Fifteen patients were treated with ultrasound-guided trigeminal nerve block with local anesthetic and steroids placed into the pterygopalatine fossa. Results: All patients achieved complete sensory analgesia to pin prick in the distribution of the V2 branch of the trigeminal nerve and 80% (12 out of 15) achieved complete sensory analgesia in V1, V2, V3 distribution within 15 minutes of the injection. All patients reported pain relief within 5 minutes of the injection. The majority of patients maintained pain relief throughout the 15 month study period. No patients experienced symptoms of local anesthetic toxicity or onset of new neurological sequelae. Limitations: Prospective case series. Conclusion: We conclude that the use of ultrasound guidance for injectate delivery in the pterygopalatine fossa is a simple, free of radiation or magnetization, safe, and effective percutaneous procedure that provides sustained pain relief in trigeminal neuralgia or atypical facial pain patients who have failed previous medical interventions. Key words: Trigeminal nerve, ultrasound-guided, atypical facial pain, trigeminal neuralgia, tic douloureux.


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