Clinical and Radiological Profile with Trigeminal Neuralgia

Abstract

The clinical description of severe facial pain, which is now known as trigeminal neuralgia. The tic refers mainly to the visible effects of the brief and paroxysmal pain that in classic trigeminal neuralgia lasts only a few seconds. The pain is reported as one of the most excruciating pain
syndromes. It has been known to drive patients with trigeminal neuralgia to the brink of suicide. The pain is severe that it often causes the patient to wince or make an aversive head movement as if trying to escape the pain thus producing an obvious movement or tic. The study was conducted
in 31 patients. All these patients were chosen from both inpatient as well as outpatient department. A detailed history of illness followed by clinical examination and investigations as detailed was  done in all these patients. Pain was characteristically paroxysmal in all our patients, but in 12.9%
patients pain was paroxysmal to begin with, but later became continuous. Mean duration of illness in these patients was 5.7 years. Age, sex and quality of pain did not show correlation with MRI and electrophysiological studies.