Leprosy presenting as orofacial pain: case report.

This article reports an unusual case of neuropathic orofacial pain secondary to leprosy. To the authors' knowledge, it is the first case of leprosy reported in the Western literature that was initially thought to be dental pain, then mistaken as a temporomandibular disorder before the correct diagnosis was made. The patient had migrated to Australia from India 24 years previously and was otherwise healthy without any overt features suggestive of infection. A review of the literature revealed that the trigeminal nerve is frequently involved in leprosy, usually associated with sensory loss rather than neuropathic pain. Even in Western countries, patients originally from countries where leprosy is endemic may develop symptoms of the disease many years later. The possibility of leprosy should be considered in the diagnosis of neuropathic orofacial pain in such patients.

Orbital apex syndrome due to trigeminal perineural spread of sinonasal leprosy: a case report.

Leprosy is a granulomatous disease primarily affecting the skin and peripheral nerves caused by Mycobacterium leprae, but also significantly involving sinonasal cavities and cranial nerves. It continues to be a significant public health problem, and despite multidrug therapy, it can still cause significant morbidity. The awareness of cranial nerve, intracranial and orbital apex involvement as in our case is important for appropriate treatment measures.

Gradenigo's syndrome.

Gradenigo's syndrome, which is characterised by the triad of suppurative otitis media, pain in the distribution of the trigeminal nerve, and abducens nerve palsy may give rise to potentially fatal complications. Knowledge of the aetiology and appropriate investigations can lead to early diagnosis. A case is reported which illustrates this.

Herpes zoster of the trigeminal nerve: the dentist's role in diagnosis and management.

Herpes zoster is caused when the varicella/zoster virus that has remained latent since an earlier varicella infection is reactivated. During the prodromal stage, the only presenting symptom may be odontalgia, which may prove to be a diagnostic challenge for the dentist. He or she may carry out emergency treatment that might be irreversible or inappropriate, as well as delay appropriate treatment. With an ever-increasing number of elderly and immunocompromised patients attending the dentist, the dental profession can expect to encounter an increased number of herpes zoster patients. The practising dentist must be familiar with the presenting signs and symptoms of patients experiencing the prodromal manifestations of herpes zoster of the trigeminal nerve.

Etiology and treatment of idiopathic trigeminal and atypical facial neuralgias.

In a series of sixteen patients with idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia and twenty-one patients with atypical facial neuralgia, it was found that the painful phenomena associated with both disorders were, in nearly all instances, closely related to the presence of maxillary or mandibular bone cavities at previous tooth extraction sites. Standard oral surgical procedures for curettage of the cavities, together with administration of antibiotics, were employed in the successful treatment of both the trigeminal and atypical facial neuralgias, with complete pain remissions for periods varying from 2 months (for most recently treated cases) up to 9 years. The observations and results of this study suggest that dental and oral disorders may play a role in the genesis of trigeminal and atypical facial neuralgias.

[Common virus infections of the skin. Molluscum contagiosum, herpes zoster, herpes simplex, condylomata acuminata, verrucae vulgares]. / Häufige Virus-Erkrankungen der Haut. Molluscum contagiosum-Herpes Zoster-Herpes simplex-Condylomata acuminata-Verrucae vulagres

The clinical diagnosis, etiology and predisposing factors of these common viral skin diseases are discussed with special emphasis on new therapeutic approaches.