Diagnosing Trigeminal Neuralgia Based on Clinical Diagnostic Reasoning in an Elderly Patient.

When pain adversely affects a patient's activities its diagnosis needs to be fast and accurate to allow effective treatment to be commenced as soon as possible. Difficulties may be found in achieving this, however, in elderly patients with age-associated cognitive decline, as they may not be capable of properly understanding or recalling their symptoms. The present case concerns a 77-year-old woman who presented with the chief complaint of pain in the right mandible persisting throughout the day, and severe enough to necessitate her lying down in bed all day long. The use of open-ended questions followed by a structured interview focused on pain with closed-ended questions revealed that she experienced paroxysms of pain throughout the day and that she was afraid of its occurrence. Based on these findings, the diagnosis was trigeminal neuralgia. Carbamazepine decreased the pain with no side effects. The patient continued taking carbamazepine for 3 months, during which time she was closely monitored for adverse reactions. No side effects, such as drowsiness or dizziness, were observed, however, and the pain subsided completely with no recurrence, even after cessation of carbamazepine.

[Efficacy of Go-rei-san for Pain Management in Four Patients with Intractable Trigeminal Neuralgia].

Go-rei-san is a Japanese traditional medicine that is used to treat motion sickness, nausea, and vomiting. We report here four patients for whom Go-rei-san was effective in treating pain associated with intractable trigeminal neuralgia. Three patients could not continue carbamazepine due to drug-induced rash, liver damage, and gastrointestinal injury, and suffered from pain. One patient experienced severe dizziness upon combination treatment with pregabalin and carbamazepine. All patients exhibited symptoms of water poisoning on their tongues. All patients experienced significant pain relief without major complications after daily adminis- tration of 7.5 g Go-rei-san. Our findings suggest that Go-rei-san can effectively alleviate pain associated with intractable trigeminal neuralgia without major compli- cations.

[Treatment of neurotrophic ulceration following alcohol injection of the gasserian ganglion in trigeminal neuralgia: Case report and review of the literature]. / Traitement de l'ulcération neurotrophique après alcoolisation du ganglion de Gasser dans l'atteinte du nerf trijumeau : cas clinique et revue de la littérature.

INTRODUCTION: Trigeminal trophic syndrome (TTS) can occur after any injury on the fifth cranial nerve. The etiology is dominated by iatrogenic causes, especially after gasserian ganglion ablation. Middle-aged women are mostly involved and the differential diagnosis is vast. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 88-year old woman presented with TTS and destruction of the right nasal ala 25 years after retrogasserian alcohol injection for trigeminal neuralgia. Facing iterative failure of medical treatment, topics and neurostimulation, we performed lipofilling for the lesion. In the third month, we found a 50 % decrease in size of the lesion, as well as a complete disappearance of pruritus, thus allowing to consider reconstructive surgery. DISCUSSION: Our literature review reports 28 cases of TTS subsequent to alcohol injection of the gasserian ganglion. Age of presentation ranges from 49 to 88 years, with a time of onset between trigeminal injury and TTS ranging from 2 weeks to 17 years. Recurrences are frequent. The management varies a lot according to the authors (topics, antibiotics, flaps), however the efficiency of lipofilling has not been reported yet. CONCLUSION: The pathophysiology of TTS remains unknown, nevertheless the therapeutical care has to be multidisciplinary. Even though not described yet, lipofilling seems to be an interesting treatment of TTS following alcohol injection in the trigeminal ganglion.

[Toothache with a neuropathic background]. / Kiespijn met een neuropathische achtergrond.

A 48-year old woman in good general health was referred to the orofacial pain clinic in a centre for special dentistry with a toothache in the premolar region of the left maxillary quadrant. The complaints had existed for 15 years and various dental treatments, including endodontic treatments, apical surgery, extraction and splint therapy, had not helped to alleviate the complaints. As a result of the fact that anti-epileptic drugs were able to reduce the pain it was concluded that this 'toothache' satisfied the criteria of an atypical odontalgia: 'toothache' with a neuropathic background.

Safety and efficacy of carbamazepine in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia: A metanalysis in biomedicine.

Trigeminal neuralgia is a debilitating condition characterized by severe facial pain. Carbamazepine has been widely used as a first-line treatment option for trigeminal neuralgia, but there is a need to evaluate its safety and efficacy based on existing evidence. This meta-analysis aims to systematically assess the available literature and provide a comprehensive evaluation of the safety and efficacy of carbamazepine in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. A thorough search of electronic databases yielded a total of 15 relevant studies that met the inclusion criteria. The pooled analysis of these studies revealed that carbamazepine demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing pain intensity and frequency in patients with trigeminal neuralgia. Moreover, the drug was generally well-tolerated, with the most common adverse events being mild and transient. Subgroup analyses based on different dosages and treatment durations further supported the overall findings. However, caution should be exercised in patients with certain comorbidities or specific populations, as some rare but severe adverse events were reported. In conclusion, this meta-analysis provides strong evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of carbamazepine as a valuable therapeutic option for the management of trigeminal neuralgia. These results can guide clinicians in making informed decisions regarding the use of carbamazepine and contribute to optimizing treatment strategies for patients with trigeminal neuralgia. Further research is warranted to explore long-term safety and efficacy outcomes, as well as to compare carbamazepine with alternative treatment modalities.

Tapentadol helps in trigeminal neuralgia: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) usually affects people over 50 years old. TN-related pains are short-lived, and the disease course is characterized by exacerbations and remissions. Sometimes chronic pain develops due to central sensitization. This is the first case report on the effectiveness of tapentadol in pain control in TN. CASE DESCRIPTION: It is an instructive case history demonstrating the high effectiveness of tapentadol in a 55-year-old Caucasian male with severe [Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) 9/10] TN-related pain and a history of ineffective treatment with antiepileptic drugs. The neuralgia had occurred twice a year for the three preceding years, and typically the TN periods lasted 2-3 weeks with complete remissions between. Previously the patient had been treated with antiepileptic drugs (e.g., carbamazepine, phenytoin, clonazepam, gabapentin, and lamotrigine). However, he found all treatments to be ineffective and accompanied by unacceptable somnolence. Thus, a prolonged-release oral tapentadol was proposed at the beginning of the next relapse. After application of tapentadol, the patient reported a significant improvement. The severity of pain declined to VAS 6/10 (2nd day) and 4/10 (3rd day), and the attacks resolved entirely on the fourth day of treatment. He reported no side effects. The drug was discontinued after 14 days. CONCLUSIONS: Despite pain chronification, tapentadol was efficient and well tolerated in TN. Further research is needed to reveal tapentadol's efficacy in neuralgias.

[Odontogenic pain syndrome: integrated approach in analgesia].

The article deals with the study of 96 patients (69 women and 27 men) with odontogenic facial pain syndrome. All patients received complex neurodentist examination with radiological assessment of maxillofacial area and additional functional methods. Patients were divided into two groups, 48 patients in each group. All patients received usual therapy; mouth cavity sanitation, selective grinding of teeth, drug therapy (anticonvulsants, B vitamins) and physiotherapy. Patients in group 2 received corporeal acupuncture. Efficacy of the therapy was assessed by changes of basic subjective and objective significatives on 10th, 30th and 60th day of treatment. Reflective anaesthesia techniques using allowed to stop the pain faster and decreased the dosage of drugs in patients of group 2.

The Therapeutic Effect of Botulinum Toxin Type A on Trigeminal Neuralgia: Are There Any Differences between Type 1 versus Type 2 Trigeminal Neuralgia?

BACKGROUND: Botulinum toxin type A is an effective treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. Moreover, its efficacy in type 2 trigeminal neuralgia and comparative studies between type 1 and type 2 trigeminal neuralgia (TN) still need to be improved. METHODS: We treated 40 TN patients with onabotulinumtoxinA; 18 had type 1 TN, and 22 had type 2 TN. We compared the baseline pain score with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and paroxysm frequency (number per week) at the baseline with those obtained at 1-month and 3-month follow-ups. Nonetheless, we compared the baseline Penn Facial Pain Scale with the scores obtained at the 1-month follow-up. RESULTS: BoNT/A effectively reduced pain intensity and frequency at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups. Moreover, the type 1 TN and type 2 TN groups had baseline pain scores of 7.8 ± 1.65 and 8.4 ± 1.1, respectively. Pain significantly improved (p < 0.001) in both groups to 3.1 ± 2.3 (type 1 TN) and 3.5 ± 2.3 (type 2 TN) at the 1-month follow-up and to 3.2 ± 2.5 (type 1 TN) and 3.6 ± 2.5 (type 2 TN) at the 3-month follow-up. There was no difference between the two groups (p 0.345). The baseline paroxysm frequencies (number per week) were 86.7 ± 69.3 and 88.9 ± 62.2 for the type 1 and type 2 TN groups, respectively; they were significantly reduced in both groups at the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups without significant differences between the two groups (p 0.902). The Pain Facial Pain Scale improved at the 1-month follow-up, and no significant differences were found between the two groups. There was a strong correlation between background pain and paroxysm pain intensity (r 0.8, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Botulinum toxin type A effectively reduced the pain, paroxysm frequency, and PFPS scores of type 1 and type 2 trigeminal neuralgia patients without statistically significant differences. Facial asymmetry was the only adverse event.

Two Patients Experience Same-Day Analgesic Effect of Methadone on Trigeminal Neuralgia Secondary to Malignancy: A Case Report.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) secondary to malignancy leads to significant distress and subsequently impacts a patient's quality of life. Use of methadone as a first-line opioid analgesic in this subset of oncology patients is uncommon and is rarely initiated after traditional first-line therapies have failed. We report two patients with TN secondary to tumor burden who experienced significant analgesia within 24 hours of methadone initiation.

Lacosamide in trigeminal neuralgia: report of a case refractory to first- and second-generation anticonvulsants.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) involves first- and second-generation anticonvulsants. However, side effects (SEs) impair compliance with treatment, especially in elderly patients. Lacosamide (LCM) is a third-generation anticonvulsant with a mechanism of action that is not completely clear. It has few SEs and has been considered in the treatment of neuropathic pain. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: LCM was prescribed as a monotherapy for a 60-year-old female with TN who had proven refractory to previous treatments in terms of both the absence of any pain relief and the appearance of severe leukopenia. The treatment dosage was 100 mg twice daily. Pain relief was obtained after three weeks of treatment without any SEs. Currently, the patient takes a maintenance dosage of 100 mg/daily, remaining in a state of complete well-being. CONCLUSION: LCM has shown evidence of a potential efficacy and a good safety profile in the treatment of this patient with TN.

Autologous conditioned serum (Orthokine) injection for treatment of classical trigeminal neuralgia: results of a single-center case series.

BACKGROUND: Despite some advances, treatment of trigeminal neuralgia remains a significant challenge. This study determines the efficacy and safety of autologous conditioned serum (Orthokine) injection into the foramen oval to treat refractory trigeminal neuralgia. CASE PRESENTATION: This is a consecutive case series from the Pain and Palliative Care Department of Imam Reza University Hospital, Tabriz, Iran. Eleven Iranian patients, eligible according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, aged 45.64 ±â€Š11.58 years (Four male and seven female, all Iranian) with established classical trigeminal neuralgia were injected with Orthokine (2 mL per injection) once a week for three consecutive weeks (total of four injections). Numeric rating scale scores for facial pain intensity and also carbamazepine daily dose were confirmed at pretreatment (T0) and at week 1 (T1), week 2 (T2), week 3 (T3), week 4 (T4), and month 2 (T5) posttreatment. Pain intensity was significantly reduced in the first 3 weeks of follow-up in comparison with baseline (T0 to T3) (8.18 ± 1.99 to 2.82 ± 2.13, p < 0.001), an effect that was retained at week 4 (T4) and month 2 (T5) follow-ups (2.82 ± 2.13 to 3.36 ± 2.69, p = 0.886). Carbamazepine consumption was significantly reduced in the first 3 weeks of follow-up in comparison with baseline (T0 to T3) (636.36 ± 307.48 to 200.00 ± 296.64, p = 0.003), an effect that was retained at week 4 and month 2 follow-ups (200.00 ± 296.64 to 200.00 ± 282.84, p = 0.802). There were no serious adverse events in participants. CONCLUSION: Orthokine injection led to consistent pain relief and reduced carbamazepine dosage in patients with trigeminal neuralgia, with acceptable safety.

[Experience in treatment of patients with neuropathic facial pain using ziconotide]. / Erfahrungen mit intrathekaler First-line-Therapie mit Ziconotide bei Patienten mit Neuropathischen Gesichtsschmerzen.

We report on the intrathecal use of ziconotide in three patients with idiopathic facial pain after surgery of the mouth, jaw or face and one patient with neuropathic pain after damage of the lingual nerve. The therapy was successful in three patients but one patient with idiopathic facial pain had pain relief only during the test phase of ziconotide with an external pump and not after implanting the Synchromed® pump. With intrathecal morphine therapy this patient achieved good pain relief. We recommend that patients with neuropathic facial pain should be treated with ziconotide after implementation of guideline-based therapy. In the test phase the ziconotide dose should be increased by 0.6 µg/day per week after an initial dose of 0.6-1.2 µg/day to avoid side-effects.

[The effectiveness of botulinum therapy of trigeminal neuralgia]. / Effektivnost' botulinoterapii pri trigeminal'noi nevralgii.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the treatment protocol with the use of onabotulinum toxin type A (botox) and the efficacy of a single botulinum therapy procedure for clinical manifestations in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 90 patients (57 women, 33 men), including 80 people with primary TN and 10 people with secondary TN. Then 20 patients with primary TN (11 women and 9 men, mean age 61.8 years) received local injections of onabotulinum toxin type A (botox). Clinical examination included taking anamnesis, assessment of pain on a visual analogue scale (VAS), assessment of the frequency of pain paroxysms, taking into account the average indicator (0 to 100 seizures during the day); neurosensory examination according to the developed protocol with the definition of pain, temperature, tactile sensitivity, the study of stimulus-dependent pain; MRI of the brain to diagnose neurovascular conflict. RESULTS: A month after the injections, the pain intensity practically did not change (8.5 versus 7.2 points on the VAS), but the number of paroxysms decreased (31.2 versus 22.5 seizures per day). Two months after the use of botox, the number of pain attacks continued to decrease (31.2 versus 17.7; Mann-Whitney U-test, p=0.006). At the same time, there was a decrease in pain intensity according to the VAS (8.5 versus 6.1, t-test 2.75 points; p=0.02). After three months, there was a decrease in the number of paroxysms from 31.2 to 9.2 (paired Student's test, p<0.001) and the severity of pain (8.85 versus 4.0 points on the VAS, paired t-test 3.95 points, p<0.001). There were significant differences in the average dose of carbamazepine (867.5 versus 670.8 after 3 months, t-test 196.7 mg, p=0.02). In TN patients who underwent destructive operations with exposure to the peripheral branches of the trigeminal nerve, signs of severe neurosensory deficit on the face and burning pain are added to the main symptoms, which corresponds to the clinical criteria of post-traumatic trigeminal neuropathy. CONCLUSION: Local injections of type A onabotulinum toxin (botox) are minimally invasive, safe and effective symptomatic therapy for patients with TN. Persistent sensory disturbances that develop in patients after destructive surgeries call into question the safety of these therapies for TN.

Effects of Botulinum Toxin Type A on Pain among Trigeminal Neuralgia, Myofascial Temporomandibular Disorders, and Oromandibular Dystonia.

The differences in analgesic effects of botulinum toxin type A were compared in 28 patients with trigeminal neuralgia, 53 patients with myofascial temporomandibular disorders, and 89 patients with the jaw closing oromandibular dystonia. The patients were treated by injection of botulinum toxin type A into the masseter, temporalis, medial pterygoid, and other muscles based on the symptoms of each patient. The pain severity was evaluated using the visual analog scale, pain frequency, and pain scale of the oromandibular dystonia rating scale. Botulinum toxin injection was performed 1068 times in all patients without significant adverse effects. The visual analog, pain frequency, and pain scales at baseline were reduced (p < 0.001) after two, four, eight, and 12 weeks after the first botulinum toxin therapy and at the endpoint. The effects differed significantly (p < 0.001) among the groups (repeated-measures analysis of variance). The mean improvement (0%, no effect; 100%, complete recovery) at the endpoint was 86.8% for trigeminal neuralgia, 80.8% for myofascial pain, and 75.4% for oromandibular dystonia. Injection of the botulinum toxin can be a highly effective and safe method to treat trigeminal neuralgia, myofascial pain, and oromandibular dystonia.

Trigeminal Neuralgia With Extraoral Trigger Zone Successfully Treated With Intraoral Injections of Botulinum Toxin: A Case Report.

Trigeminal neuralgia is a pain condition that is frequently misdiagnosed and challenging to manage. We present the case of a patient with trigeminal neuralgia with multiple misdiagnoses and poorly managed pain. Despite the presence of trigger zones both inside and outside her mouth, complete symptom resolution was ultimately achieved through onabotulinumtoxinA injections, delivered solely intraorally.

[Inhibitory effect of carbamazepine on hypotensive action of spironolactone in primary aldosteronism]. / Hamujacy wplyw karbamazepiny na efekt hipotensyjny spironolaktonu w hiperaldosteronizmie pierwotnym.

Despite progress made in recent years, interactions between various drugs are far from being fully understood. Moreover, a peculiarity of constitution causes that some individuals in particular situations respond differently to a drug or treatment than do most people. We report the case of a 68-year-old female with primary aldosteronism treated with spironolactone. The patient occasionally suffered from trigeminal neuralgia and was then prescribed with carbamazepine, which although alleviated pain worsened the control of blood pressure. To maintain blood pressure within normal limits the doses of spironolactone had to be increased. Replacement of carbamazepine with gabapentin prevented these drug-induced increases in blood pressure in our patient. This case shows for the first time the existence of a drug interaction between spironolactone and any anti-epileptic drug in primary aldosteronism.

The effect of traditional herbal medicines; Uyakujunkisan on trigeminal neuralgia in an elderly patient--a case report and literature review.

This report describes the successful treatment of a 72-year-old female with refractory trigeminal neuralgia using a traditional herbal medicine, Uyakujunkisan (UJS). The case report is of a 65-year-old female who developed right-sided trigeminal neuralgia that was partially responsive to carbamazepine (CZ). The pain gradually increased in intensity and at 72 years of age she presented for herbal medicine therapy. Cranial MRI demonstrated vascular compression of the right trigeminal nerve at the cerebellopontine angle by the anterior inferior cerebellar artery. Although microvascular decompression was considered, UJS was prescribed after informed consent. After 3 weeks of treatment with UJS, dramatic improvement of symptoms permitted a decrease in CZ dose.

[Atypical pain in the mandible caused by trigeminal neuralgia]. / Een patiënt met een atypische pijnklacht in de onderkaak.

A 58-year-old woman came to her dentist with atypical pain on the right side of the mandible. The pain diminished with the use of carbamazepine, paracetamol and diclofenac, and eventually disappeared completely. Magnetic resonance imaging, undertaken at the advice of a neurologist, showed no structural lesions and confirmed the diagnosis of idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition which often can be diagnosed on the basis of the clinical history and the specific symptoms. The condition can be divided into idiopathic and symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia. It is important to consider a possible trigeminal neuralgia in case of atypical pain in the oral region in order to prevent unnecessary dental procedures.

Refactory Trigeminal Neuralgia successfully treated by combination therapy (Pregabalin plus Lamotrigine).

In MS patients (PwMS), paroxysmal symptoms (PS) are frequently reported and are often the cause of suffering. PS include Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) that is the most widely recognized neurophatic pain syndrome. TN treatment primarily consists of antiepileptic medications such as Carbamazepine (CBZ) and Lamotrigine (LTG). CBZ is reported to be not well tolerated by PwMS for its side effects that mimic an MS exacerbation. Pregabalin (PGB) was successfully used in treating paroxysmal symptoms in PwMS. We performed a prospective open-label pilot study of PGB in combination with LTG in a group of MS patients with TN to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the two medications in subjects who were no-responsive or intolerant to conventional treatment. The combination of PGB and LTG may prove effective in the treatment of TN in PwMS, at small dosages, along with the possibility of minimizing adverse effects, while significantly improving pain control.