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. 2006 Sep;2(3):194-7.
doi: 10.3988/jcn.2006.2.3.194. Epub 2006 Sep 20.

Unilateral trigeminal mandibular motor neuropathy caused by tumor in the foramen ovale

Kyung Seok Park  1 , Jae-Myun Chung, Beom S Jeon, Seong-Ho Park, Kwang-Woo Lee
Affiliations

Unilateral trigeminal mandibular motor neuropathy caused by tumor in the foramen ovale

Kyung Seok Park et al. J Clin Neurol. 2006 Sep.

Abstract

Pure trigeminal motor neuropathy is characterized by trigeminal motor weakness without signs of trigeminal sensory or other cranial nerve involvement. We describe a 63-year-old woman with progressive weakness and atrophy of the left masticatory muscles. She had no sensory disturbance. The diagnosis of pure trigeminal motor neuropathy was made on the basis of clinical and electrophysiologic studies. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed enhancement of the enlarged mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve coursing through the left foramen ovale. Our observations suggest that pure trigeminal motor neuropathy can be induced by a tumor.

Keywords: Mandibular nerve; Neoplasm; Trigeminal motor neuropathy.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Severe muscle wasting on the left side of the patient's face.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Coronal contrast-enhanced T1-weighted brain MRI. An enhanced mass was evident in the mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve coursing through the left foramen ovale (arrowheads), with atrophy of the left masseter and pterygoid muscles (arrows).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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