Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026
Anteromesial Temporal Lobectomy for Medically Intractable Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: An Operative Study
Published on: August 15, 2025
The long-term effect of craniotomy on temporalis muscle function
Pedro A S Rocha-Filho1, Fábio J C Fujarra, José L D Gherpelli
1Department of Neurology, University of São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil. pasrf@ig.com.br
Objective:
The objective of this study was to evaluate jaw movements and the masticatory muscle in patients who underwent craniotomy for treatment of cerebral aneurysm.
Study Design:
Descriptive study.
Results:
There were 71 patients evaluated between 4 and 6 months after craniotomy, by means of a systematized approach. Their mean age was 45.3 years. Thirty-four (47.9%) patients complained of headache during dental evaluation. Twenty (28.2%) patients reported pain during normal jaw movements. There was a correlation between pain complaints and jaw movements during dental examinations (P = .03). Patients with postcraniotomy headache had more masticatory muscle tenderness on palpation than those without post-craniotomy headache (P < .02). Jaw protrusion was worse than the reference values (P < .01).
Conclusions:
Headache was the complaint in 47.9% of the sample. Jaw movement was statistically a pain-precipitating factor. Patients who suffered from postcraniotomy headache had more masticatory muscle tenderness. There were functional jaw limitations.