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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
10:52
Chronic Constriction Injury of the Rat's Infraorbital Nerve (IoN-CCI) to Study Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain
Published on: September 21, 2015
[Chronic facial pain due to a brainstem cavernoma]
J-P Stellmann1, M Kuhn, R Töpper
1Asklepios Klinik Harburg-Neurologie, Eissendorfer Pferdeweg 52, 21075 Hamburg. jpstellmann@jamboss.de
Fortschritte Der Neurologie-Psychiatrie
|July 25, 2007
Summary
A rare brainstem cavernoma caused a woman's trigeminal neuralgia. This small vascular malformation led to facial pain and subsequent numbness, highlighting a rare cause of neuropathic pain.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Neuroradiology
Background:
- Idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (ITN) is typically linked to neurovascular compression.
- Symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia can arise from conditions like multiple sclerosis, tumors, or postherpetic neuralgia.
- Vascular malformations are an infrequent cause of trigeminal neuralgia.
Observation:
- A 55-year-old woman presented with left-sided facial pain and ptosis.
- Initial neurological exams and MRIs were inconclusive.
- Facial pain resolved spontaneously, leaving residual left-sided facial hypesthesia.
Findings:
- Retrospective MRI analysis revealed a small signal alteration near the left trigeminal nucleus.
- A subsequent MRI identified a subacute hemorrhage within a small brainstem cavernoma.
- The cavernoma-associated hemorrhage is presumed to be the cause of the patient's symptoms.
Implications:
- This case underscores that small vascular malformations, specifically brainstem cavernomas, can be a rare etiology of neuropathic facial pain.
- Highlights the importance of detailed neuroimaging in diagnosing atypical trigeminal neuralgia presentations.
- Suggests cavernoma-induced hemorrhage as a differential diagnosis for sudden-onset facial pain syndromes.
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