Cerebellopontine angle tumor causing contralateral trigeminal neuralgia: a case report

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Neurosurgery
• Oncology

Background:

• Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a debilitating neuropathic pain condition.
• Acoustic neuromas are benign tumors arising from the vestibulocochlear nerve.
• Cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors can present with diverse neurological symptoms.

Observation:

• A patient presented with trigeminal neuralgia symptoms.
• The underlying cause was identified as a contralateral acoustic neurinoma in the cerebellopontine angle.
• Surgical resection of the tumor was performed.

Findings:

• Complete resolution of trigeminal neuralgia pain was achieved post-operatively.
• This case suggests a potential causal link between contralateral CPA tumors and TN.
• Review of literature identified other instances of TN secondary to contralateral CPA tumors.

Implications:

• The findings expand the differential diagnosis for trigeminal neuralgia.
• Understanding the pathophysiology may involve complex neural interactions or secondary compression mechanisms.
• This highlights the importance of thorough neuroimaging in diagnosing atypical TN presentations.