Review of craniofacial pain syndromes involving the greater occipital nerve: relevant anatomy, clinical findings, and interventional management.

Craniofacial pain syndromes exhibit a high prevalence in the general population, with a subset of patients developing chronic pain that significantly impacts their quality of life and results in substantial disabilities. Anatomical and functional assessments of the greater occipital nerve (GON) have unveiled its implication in numerous craniofacial pain syndromes, notably through the trigeminal-cervical convergence complex. The pathophysiological involvement of the greater occipital nerve in craniofacial pain syndromes, coupled with its accessibility, designates it as the primary target for various interventional procedures in managing craniofacial pain syndromes. This educational review aims to describe multiple craniofacial pain syndromes, elucidate the role of GON in their pathophysiology, detail the relevant anatomy of the greater occipital nerve (including specific intervention sites), highlight the role of imaging in diagnosing craniofacial pain syndromes, and discuss various interventional procedures such as nerve infiltration, ablation, neuromodulation techniques, and surgeries. Imaging is essential in managing these patients, whether for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. The utilization of image guidance has demonstrated an enhancement in reproducibility, as well as technical and clinical outcomes of interventional procedures. Studies have shown that interventional management of craniofacial pain is effective in treating occipital neuralgia, cervicogenic headaches, cluster headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, and chronic migraines, with a reported efficacy of 60-90% over a duration of 1-9 months. Repeated infiltrations, neuromodulation, or ablation may prove effective in selected cases. Therefore, reassessment of treatment response and efficacy during follow-up is imperative to guide further management and explore alternative treatment options. Optimal utilization of imaging, interventional techniques, and a multidisciplinary team, including radiologists, will ensure maximum benefit for these patients.

Technical guideline for intra-prepontine cisternal drug delivery via spinal puncture through subarachnoid catheterization. / ç»è„ŠæŸ±æ¤Žé—´éš™ç©¿åˆºè››ç½‘è†œä¸‹è ”è„‘æ¡¥å‰æ± ç½®ç®¡è¯ç‰©è¾“æ³¨æŠ€æœ¯åº”ç”¨æŒ‡å—.

OBJECTIVES: The distribution characteristics of intrathecal drugs and the limitation of current catheterization techniques make traditional intrathecal analgesic treatment nearly useless for refractory craniofacial pain, such as trigemina neuralgia. This technical guideline aims to promote the widespread and standardize the application of intra-prepontine cisternal drug delivery via spinal puncture and catheterization. METHODS: A modified Delphi approach was used to work for this guideline. On the issues related to the intra-prepontine cisternal targeted drug delivery technique, the working group consulted 10 experts from the field with 3 rounds of email feedback and 3 rounds of conference discussion. RESULTS: For the efficacy and safety of the intra-prepontine cisternal targeted drug delivery technique, a consensus was formed on 7 topics (with an agreement rate of more than 80%), including the principles of the technique, indications and contraindications, patient preparation, surgical specifications for intra-prepontine cisternal catheter placement, analgesic dosage coordination, analgesic management, and prevention and treatment of complications. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing the intra-prepontine cisternal drug infusion system to manage refractory craniofacial pain could provide advantages in terms of minimally invasive, secure, and effective treatment. This application can not only alleviate the suffering of individuals experiencing the prolonged pain but also support the maintenance of quality of life and dignity in their final moments, justifiing its widespread dissemination and standardized adoption in domestic and international professional fields.

Stereotactic radiosurgery for idiopathic glossopharyngeal neuralgia: A systematic review.

Background: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has recently gained space as an accepted non-invasive alternative treatment option for drug resistant Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN). The purpose of this systematic review was to provide an overview of the outcomes of SRS treatment in patients with GPN. Methods: A literature review until March 2023 was performed. Data about patient's demographics, complications and recurrence rates, additional treatment post procedure as well as pain outcomes in the short and long term were collected. Studies without reported pain outcomes were excluded. Results: Sixteen studies with a total of 97 patients diagnosed with GPN who had undergone SRS were identified. The mean reported maximal radiation dose ranged from 70 to 88.7 Gy with the glossopharyngeal meatus (GPM) being the most common target in 12/16 studies. The median time from SRS till pain response was between 2 and 120 days. The mean proportion of patients requiring further treatment after SRS ranged from 11.1 to 57.14% in a time frame between 2 and 36 months post procedure. Favourable pain response rates after SRS (BNI-IIIb) ranged from 60% to 100% and 57.1%-100% in short and long term respectively. Conclusion: SRS for GPN remains a safe alternative to surgery with low complication rates and favourable pain outcomes in both short and long term.

Modulatory Processes in Craniofacial Pain States.

Pain is a common symptom associated with many disorders affecting the craniofacial tissues that include the teeth and their supporting structures, the jaw, face and tongue muscles, and the temporomandibular joint. Most acute craniofacial pain states are easily recognized and readily treated, but chronic craniofacial pain states (e.g., temporomandibular disorders [TMD], trigeminal neuropathies, and some headaches) may be especially challenging to manage successfully. This chapter provides an overview of the processes that underlie craniofacial pain, with a focus on the pain-modulatory mechanisms operating in craniofacial tissues and in the central nervous system (CNS), including the role of endogenous chemical processes such as those involving opioids. The chapter outlines in particular findings from preclinical studies that have provided substantial information about the neural as well as nonneural (e.g., glial) processes involved in the initiation, transmission, and modulation of nociceptive signals in the trigeminal system, and also draws attention to their clinical correlates. The increased understanding gained from these preclinical studies of how nociceptive signals can be modulated will contribute to improvements in presently available therapeutic approaches to manage craniofacial pain as well as to the development of novel analgesic approaches.

Technical guideline for intra-prepontine cisternal drug delivery via spinal puncture through subarachnoid catheterization / 中南大学学报(医学版)

Objective:The distribution characteristics of intrathecal drugs and the limitation of current catheterization techniques make traditional intrathecal analgesic treatment nearly useless for refractory craniofacial pain,such as trigemina neuralgia.This technical guideline aims to promote the widespread and standardize the application of intra-prepontine cisternal drug delivery via spinal puncture and catheterization. Methods:A modified Delphi approach was used to work for this guideline.On the issues related to the intra-prepontine cisternal targeted drug delivery technique,the working group consulted 10 experts from the field with 3 rounds of email feedback and 3 rounds of conference discussion. Results:For the efficacy and safety of the intra-prepontine cisternal targeted drug delivery technique,a consensus was formed on 7 topics(with an agreement rate of more than 80%),including the principles of the technique,indications and contraindications,patient preparation,surgical specifications for intra-prepontine cisternal catheter placement,analgesic dosage coordination,analgesic management,and prevention and treatment of complications. Conclusion:Utilizing the intra-prepontine cisternal drug infusion system to manage refractory craniofacial pain could provide advantages in terms of minimally invasive,secure,and effective treatment.This application can not only alleviate the suffering of individuals experiencing the prolonged pain but also support the maintenance of quality of life and dignity in their final moments,justifiing its widespread dissemination and standardized adoption in domestic and international professional fields.

Signos y Síntomas en 3557 Pacientes con Trastornos Temporomandibulares

Los trastornos temporomandibulares (TTM) tienen una alta frecuencia en la población y pueden presentar síntomas en la región de la cabeza, el oído y la región cervical. Este estudio evalúa la presencia de signos y síntomas en la región de la cabeza y el cuello, incluyendo: cefalea, trastornos del oído, y de la columna vertebral, en una población de 3557 pacientes con TTM. Para este estudio los datos consistieron en los registros de 3557 pacientes consecutivos de TTM referidos a una clínica privada de trastornos temporomandibulares y dolor craneofacial, en Santiago de Chile entre 1998 y 2019. El examen y los registros fueron efectuados por uno los autores (RW), en un programa computacional previamente diseñado. Los resultados fueron analizaron utilizando la distribución de la frecuencia de los datos para evaluar la prevalencia. En esta serie 72.67 % correspondieron a pacientes de sexo femenino. Los síntomas más prevalentes reportados por los 3557 pacientes estudiados fueron rigidez en el cuello 65,25 %, cefaleas 61,01 % y dolor lumbar 57,16 %. Los síntomas relacionados con el oído fueron: mareos en el 46,70 %, dolor de oídos en 32,64 % y tinnitus en el 33,60 % de los pacientes. La asimetría facial estuvo presente en el 74.08 % de los 3557 pacientes. Se observó desviación mandibular en apertura bucal, en el 74.44 % de los 3557 pacientes. Se presentó dolor a la palpación muscular en un alto porcentaje de los pacientes, en los músculos temporales, maseteros, esternocleidomastoideo y trapecio, Este estudio nos permite describir la frecuencia de los signos y síntomas que presentan los pacientes con TTM en una amplia casuística.

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are frequently associated with other conditions in the head, ear and neck region, including cervical spine disorders and headache. This study evaluates the presence of signs and symptoms in the head and neck region, including headache, ear disorders, cervical and spine disorders, on a population of 3557 patients with TMD. For this study data consisted of the records of 3557 consecutive TMD patients referred to a temporomandibular disorder and craniofacial pain private clinic in Santiago, Chile between 1998 and 2019. The examination and recordings were made by all the authors. The results were analyzed using the distribution of frequency of the data to asses prevalence. The most prevalent symptoms reported by the 3557 subjects were neck stiffness 65.25 %, headaches 61.01 % and low back pain 57.16 %, the most frequent ear symptom was dizziness 46.70 %. The present study analize the frecuency of signs and symptons presented in a big casuistic of patients with TMD.

The relationship between temporomandibular dysfunction and head and cervical posture

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the possibility of any correlation between disc displacement and parameters used for evaluation of skull positioning in relation to the cervical spine: craniocervical angle, suboccipital space between C0-C1, cervical curvature and position of the hyoid bone in individuals with and without symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The patients were evaluated following the guidelines set forth by RDC/TMD. Evaluation was performed by magnetic resonance imaging for establishment of disc positioning in the temporomandibular joints (TMJs) of 30 volunteer patients without temporomandibular dysfunction symptoms and 30 patients with symptoms. Evaluation of skull positioning in relation to the cervical spine was performed on lateral cephalograms achieved with the individual in natural head position. Data were submitted to statistical analysis by Fisher's exact test at 5%significance level. To measure the degree of reproducibility/agreements between surveys, the kappa (K) statistics was used. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed between C0-C1 measurement for both symptomatic (p=0.04) and asymptomatic (p=0.02). No statistical differences were observed regarding craniocervical angle, C1-C2 and hyoid bone position in relation to the TMJs with and without disc displacement. Although statistically significant difference was found in the C0-C1 space, no association between these and internal temporomandibular joint disorder can be considered. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results observed in this study, no direct relationship could be determined between the presence of disc displacement and the variables assessed.

Diagnosis and treatment of craniofacial pain / 中国实用内科杂志

Craniofacial pain is a common disease and it is complicated in its diagnosis and treatment.Some common kinds of craniofacial pain are introduced according to the criteria of headache classification of International Headache Society(IHS)2004.Trigeminal neuralgia,glossopharyngeal neuralgia,nervus intermedius neuralgia,supra-orbital neuralgia,occipital neuralgia,acute zoster and postherpetic neuraigia and Tolosa-Hunt syndrome are included with their key points of clinical diagnosis and treatment.