Case 337

Abstract

A 38-year-old previously healthy male patient presented with left-sided facial pain over the prior 5 weeks. He first noticed the pain while washing and applying pressure to his face. The pain was described as shock-like, sharp and shooting, and radiating along the left cheek and temple. It began as 1-2-second episodes occurring two to three times per day, sometimes spontaneously, progressing in severity and frequency over time. Mild progressive left facial weakness also developed a few weeks after initial symptoms. Physical examination demonstrated reproducible pain in the distribution of the maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve (V2), with normal motor and sensory function. A recent routine dental examination demonstrated healthy teeth and gums, and there was no history of dental procedures or trauma. The rest of the physical and neurologic examinations revealed no abnormalities. The patient was afebrile with normal vital signs. Findings of routine laboratory testing, including complete blood count, metabolic panel with electrolytes, kidney and liver function, and inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, were all within normal limits. Following the neurologic and otolaryngologic evaluations, imaging was recommended. The patient was also started on treatment with carbamazepine for trigeminal neuralgia, with modest improvement of symptoms. He initially underwent MRI of the temporal bones at an outside hospital. After subsequent referral to our hospital, follow-up concomitant MRI and CT (Figs 1-4) were performed approximately 3 months after the initial imaging.