Unique Measurements of Intranasal Trigeminal Function: A Pilot Study.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Rhinology

Background:

• The trigeminal nerve plays a crucial role in sensory perception within the nasal cavity.
• Accurate assessment of intranasal trigeminal function is essential for diagnosing and managing various sinonasal conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore novel methods for quantifying intranasal trigeminal nerve function.
• To correlate these new measurements with established, validated trigeminal function assessments.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study involving 41 subjects without nasal congestion.
• Utilized the Thermal Sensory Analyzer (TSA) to measure trigeminal thermal thresholds (detection and pain) at the anterior septum and inferior turbinate.
• Assessed trigeminal odorant lateralization and collected visual analog scale (VAS) data.

Main Results:

• Intranasal thermal measures showed good correlation between the septum and turbinate (ρ = .3–.8).
• Oral and extraoral thermal measures moderately correlated with intranasal cold and heat pain thresholds (ρ = .4–.5).
• Isothiocyanate lateralization demonstrated the strongest correlation with intranasal thermal pain scores.

Conclusions:

• Intranasal trigeminal thermal function measurements correlate with validated extraoral and intraoral assessments.
• The inferior turbinate shows robust correlations, suggesting its utility in trigeminal function testing.
• The TSA device presents a potential rapid and novel method for assessing intranasal trigeminal function.