Trigeminal neuralgia secondary to minor size lesion, anatomical considerations and pathophysiology

Trigeminal neuralgia is a well-characterized disorder of high prevalence among the current population. It may be caused, among many other causes, by a tumor which contacts with the trigeminal nerve, often of large volume. We present the case of a middle-aged woman without any remarkable medical background who suffered a trigeminal neuralgia caused by a subcentimeter tumor which appeared to be a meningioma. Some small tumors like this one may be symptomatic whereas larger ones will not. We discuss the pathogenesis and characterization of the trigeminal neuralgia in such cases proposing some mechanisms that could be involved in the development of a secondary neuralgia.