Inflammation of the trigeminal nerve: symptoms and treatment, causes
Inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, in other words neuralgia is a chronic pathology, a syndrome manifested by sudden, shooting, short-term, periodic pain along one or several branches of the trigeminal nerve on one side of the face.
In 1773 the disease was described by a British physician John Fostergill. Hence its other name - Phosergill's disease.
More often this disease occurs in women older than 40 years, but can occur in younger people.
The pathogenesis of neuralgia has not been fully understood, and in many cases the cause can not be established. It is believed that it can occur as a result of squeezing the trigeminal nerve with vessels, arteries or veins of the posterior cranial fossa when it leaves the cranium.
Among the various reasons leading to violations in the system can be identified several:
For inflammation of the trigeminal nerve are characterized by sudden, firing, short-term( up to 2 minutes) painful attacks. These symptoms can follow one after another at intervals of a couple of minutes and end as suddenly as they began.
This zone covers the nasolabial triangle, where the triggering attack points, scalp, forehead and cheeks are located. If the first branch of the trigeminal nerve is affected, which is rare enough, painful sensations may appear in the eye area.
Pain in the ears, teeth and jaws is not excluded.
During the period of the attack, the pain is so strong that the person who experiences it can not concentrate on anything else in the constant expectation of a second wave of unpleasant sensations. To brush your teeth, eat food and just touch your face becomes problematic.
Read also, symptoms of sciatica.
Treatment is aimed at eliminating pains and causes that cause seizures. Therapy can be carried out by medication, physiotherapy and surgery.
Among the drugs should be allocated the most popular drug of all, used for neuralgia. This carbamazepine is an anticonvulsant that is very effective in the early stages of nerve inflammation, as it reduces impulses in sensitive nerve fibers. But there may be side effects, in particular, there may be marked drowsiness.
In addition, prescribe antispasmodic and vasodilator drugs. Of the physiotherapeutic methods of treatment are recommended: ultraphonophoresis, ionogalvanization, diadynamic currents.
If pain is not cured when conservative treatment of inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, then go to the surgical intervention - microvascular decompression. After installing a special protector, often Teflon, which performs cushioning and protective and restrictive functions, a chain of pathological impulse is interrupted between the vessel and the nerve.
The technique is very effective, but it involves trepanation of the posterior cranial fossa. There is a risk of weakening of hearing and numbness of the face.
There is also a non-invasive method to get rid of the problem - stereotactic radiosurgery, or gamma-knife. Its essence consists in the destruction of the trigeminal nerve and the stopping of impulses in the brain by the action of the strongest ionizing radiation.
To the destruction of the nerve leads also to percutaneous stereotaxic rhizotomy during which a needle is injected into the trigeminal nerve, which is an electrode and conducts an electric current.
There are many surgical methods for the therapy of inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, but their common goal is to block impulses or eliminate the cause itself. Indications for each of them depend on the duration of the disease, age and concomitant diseases.
In 1773 the disease was described by a British physician John Fostergill. Hence its other name - Phosergill's disease.
More often this disease occurs in women older than 40 years, but can occur in younger people.
Causes of inflammation of the trigeminal nerve
The pathogenesis of neuralgia has not been fully understood, and in many cases the cause can not be established. It is believed that it can occur as a result of squeezing the trigeminal nerve with vessels, arteries or veins of the posterior cranial fossa when it leaves the cranium.
Among the various reasons leading to violations in the system can be identified several:
- direct injury of the nerve and its pathways;
- Multiple sclerosis, when a plaque is formed in the sensitive core of the trigeminal nerve;
- herpes zoster;
- congenital or acquired narrowing of the skull base of the skull;
- hypothermia of facial skin;
- neoplasms;
- bacterial infection in the teeth;
- old age.
Symptoms of trigeminal nerve inflammation
For inflammation of the trigeminal nerve are characterized by sudden, firing, short-term( up to 2 minutes) painful attacks. These symptoms can follow one after another at intervals of a couple of minutes and end as suddenly as they began.
Usually pain is piercing, one-sided, localized in the zone of innervation of one or all of the branches of the nerve.
This zone covers the nasolabial triangle, where the triggering attack points, scalp, forehead and cheeks are located. If the first branch of the trigeminal nerve is affected, which is rare enough, painful sensations may appear in the eye area.
Pain in the ears, teeth and jaws is not excluded.
During the period of the attack, the pain is so strong that the person who experiences it can not concentrate on anything else in the constant expectation of a second wave of unpleasant sensations. To brush your teeth, eat food and just touch your face becomes problematic.
Read also, symptoms of sciatica.
Treatment of inflammation of the trigeminal nerve
Treatment is aimed at eliminating pains and causes that cause seizures. Therapy can be carried out by medication, physiotherapy and surgery.
Among the drugs should be allocated the most popular drug of all, used for neuralgia. This carbamazepine is an anticonvulsant that is very effective in the early stages of nerve inflammation, as it reduces impulses in sensitive nerve fibers. But there may be side effects, in particular, there may be marked drowsiness.
In addition, prescribe antispasmodic and vasodilator drugs. Of the physiotherapeutic methods of treatment are recommended: ultraphonophoresis, ionogalvanization, diadynamic currents.
If pain is not cured when conservative treatment of inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, then go to the surgical intervention - microvascular decompression. After installing a special protector, often Teflon, which performs cushioning and protective and restrictive functions, a chain of pathological impulse is interrupted between the vessel and the nerve.
The technique is very effective, but it involves trepanation of the posterior cranial fossa. There is a risk of weakening of hearing and numbness of the face.
There is also a non-invasive method to get rid of the problem - stereotactic radiosurgery, or gamma-knife. Its essence consists in the destruction of the trigeminal nerve and the stopping of impulses in the brain by the action of the strongest ionizing radiation.
To the destruction of the nerve leads also to percutaneous stereotaxic rhizotomy during which a needle is injected into the trigeminal nerve, which is an electrode and conducts an electric current.
There are many surgical methods for the therapy of inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, but their common goal is to block impulses or eliminate the cause itself. Indications for each of them depend on the duration of the disease, age and concomitant diseases.