Carcinoma of the Tongue Presenting as Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Case Report

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) presents with extreme pain involving one or more branches of the trigeminal nerve (CN V). Although the exact cause of TN is still unknown, most cases have been linked to neurovascular compression of the nerve at the base of the brain. Pain refractory to medications can be treated with an image-guided trigeminal nerve block. A mass compressing on the trigeminal nerve can also present in rare cases of TN. Appropriate imaging is necessary to identify the likely cause of TN and develop a treatment plan prior to any intervention. We discuss the case of an 81-year-old woman diagnosed with invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma presenting as TN.