Peripheral painful traumatic trigeminal neuropathies

Abstract

The aim of this article is to review the clinical, pathophysiological, and therapeutic aspects of traumatically induced trigeminal nerve pain. We introduce a new and, in our view, more accurate terminology: peripheral painful traumatic trigeminal neuropathy (PPTTN) to define this patient group. The proposed pathophysiology of PPTTN is largely based on studies in spinal nerve injury models. However, trigeminal nerve injury studies have shown some subtle differences in response to physical and inflammatory insults, and these are discussed. The treatment of painful neuropathies is difficult and carries a poor prognosis. Based on the available literature on efficacy and side effects, we propose a treatment algorithm for traumatic trigeminal neuropathies.