• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.303-306
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• 1994

Trigeminal neuralgia is a unique disease entity to be dealt with at pain clinic due to it's severe pain attack. A 33-year old male patient had severe pain on left cheek area usually initiating from first upper molar tooth area for three years. We successfully treated this patient with maxillary nerve block using pure alcohol by a lateral approach. Three months after maxillary block the patient is still pain free.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.357-360
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• 2015

Herpes zoster virus (HZV) infections are caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus. Reactivation symptoms commonly affect the thoracolumbar trunk, and rarely affect the mandibular branches of the trigeminal nerve. When the mandibular branches are involved, lesions appear proximal to the innervation area. This condition may be associated with exfoliation of the teeth and osteonecrosis of the jawbone. We report a case of mandibular osteomyelitis after herpes zoster infection and we present a review of the literature on mandibular-branch involvement of HZV-related osteonecrosis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.5
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• pp.640-651
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• 2022

Clinical studies on neuromodulation intervention for trigeminal neuralgia have not yet shown promising results. This might be due to the fact that the pathophysiology of chronic trigeminal neuropathy is not yet fully understood. Chronic trigeminal neuropathy includes trigeminal autonomic neuropathy, painful trigeminal neuropathy, and persistent idiopathic facial pain. This disorder is caused by complex abnormalities in the pain processing system, which is comprised of the affective, emotional, and sensory components, rather than mere abnormal sensation. Therefore, integrative understanding of the pain system is necessary for appropriate neuromodulation of chronic trigeminal neuropathy. The possible neuromodulation targets that participate in complex pain processing are as follows : the ventral posterior medial nucleus, periaqueductal gray, motor cortex, nucleus accumbens, subthalamic nucleus, globus pallidus internus, anterior cingulate cortex, hypothalamus, sphenopalatine ganglion, and occipital nerve. In conclusion, neuromodulation interventions for trigeminal neuralgia is yet to be elucidated; future advancements in this area are required.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.177-183
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• 2012

Herpes zoster is a viral infection caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus, an infection most commonly affecting the thoracolumbar trunk. Herpes Zoster Infection (HZI) may affect the cranial nerves, most frequently the trigeminal. HZI of the trigeminal nerve distribution network manifests as multiple, painful vesicular eruptions of the skin and mucosa which are innervated by the infected nerves. Oral vesicles usually appear after the skin manifestations. The vesicles rupture and coalesce, leaving mucosal erosions without subsequent scarring in most cases. The worst complication of HZI is post-herpetic neuralgia; other complications include facial scarring, motor nerve palsy and optic neuropathy. Osteonecrosis with spontaneous exfoliation of the teeth is an uncommon complication associated with HZI of the trigeminal nerve. We report several cases of osteomyelitis appearing on the mandible, caused by HZI, and triggering osteonecrosis or spontaneous tooth exfoliation.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.186-193
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• 2001

Objectives : Trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm are caused by vascular compression of the REZ(root entry or exit zone) of the 5th and the 7th cranial nerve. Preoperative detection of neurovascular compression is essential for accurate diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and the good operative results. Three dimensional Fourier Transformation-Constructive Interference in Steady State(3DFT-CISS) images are known to give good contrast between CSF, nerve, and vessels. We applied a 3DFT-CISS imaging technique for the preoperative evaluation of patients with these diseases and estimated the diagnostic accuracy and usefulness of this study. Methods : A series of 71 patients with trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm were treated by microvascular decompression. Among them 34 patients with trigeminal neuralgia and 24 patients with hemifacial spasm had preoperative CISS images. We compared the radiologic finding with the operative finding, and analysed the diagnostic usefulness of 3DFT-CISS imaging. Results : The sensitivity of CISS images of detecting the neurovascular compression was 90.3% in trigeminal neuralgia and 100% in hemifacial spasm. There were one false-positive and three false-negative cases in trigeminal neuralgia, and one false-positive case in hemifacial spasm. The accuracy in diagnosing the causative vessel was 73.5% in trigeminal neuralgia and 83.3% in hemifacial spasm. Conclusion : CISS image is very useful diagnostic tool for preoperative evaluation of neurovascular compression in patients with trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm. No additional neuroradiologic examination other than CISS image and MRA is needed for preoperative evaluation of patients with trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.383-390
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• 2022

Background: The treatment of trigeminal neuralgia remains a challenging issue. Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) provide optimized therapy for chronic pain. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the attenuation of trigeminal neuralgia by SHED. Methods: Trigeminal neuralgia was induced by chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve. The mechanical threshold was assessed after model establishment and local SHED transplantation. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) morphology and Caspase12 expression in trigeminal ganglion (TG) was evaluated as well. BiP expression was observed in PC12 cells induced by tunicamycin. Results: The local transplantation of SHED could relieve trigeminal neuralgia in rats. Further, transmission electron microscopy revealed swelling of the ER in rats with trigeminal neuralgia. Moreover, SHED inhibited the tunicamycin-induced up-regulated expression of BiP mRNA and protein in vitro. Additionally, SHED decreased the up-regulated expression of Caspase12 mRNA and protein in the TG of rats caused by trigeminal neuralgia after chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve mode. Conclusions: This findings demonstrated that SHED could alleviate pain by relieving ER stress which provide potential basic evidence for clinical pain treatment.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.244-248
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• 2020

The infraorbital nerve is a branch of the trigeminal nerve. Injury to the infraorbital nerve can be caused by trauma, including various facial fractures. Due to this nerve injury, patients complain of numbness and pain in the entire cheek, the ala of nose, and upper lip. In general, spontaneous sensory recovery is expected after decompressive surgery. If nerve transection is confirmed, however, neurorrhaphy is typically performed. Here, we present a case in which microsurgery was not performed in a patient with Sunderland grade V avulsion injury of the infraorbital nerve due to a facial bone fracture. Gradual nerve function recovery was confirmed to be possible with conservative treatment and rehabilitation alone. These findings suggest that the nerve function recovery can be expected with conservative treatment, even for severe nerve injury for which microsurgery cannot be considered.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.148-153
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• 2006

Objective : The authors conducted this study to present the long-term treatment outcomes [minimum 2 years] of Gamma knife radiosurgery[GKS] for trigeminal neuralgia[TN] and to demonstrate the correlation of treatment outcomes and the anatomical characteristics of TN. Methods : From 1997 to 2003, 44 consecutive patients suffering from medically intractable pain underwent GKS for TN. A single 4mm collimator was used with a median maximum dose of 80Gy [range $75{\sim}80Gy$] prescribed to the root entry zone of the trigeminal nerve. Median follow up duration was 30 months [range $24{\sim}78\;months$]. Anatomical measurements of trigeminal nerve in magnetic resonance images during GKS planning were correlated with clinical outcome. Results : Twenty-two patients [50%] achieved an excellent outcome [BNI grade I & II], 20 patients [45.5%] a good outcome [grade IIIa & IIIb], and only 2 patients [4.5%] a poor outcome [grade IV & V]. Eleven patients [25.0%] experienced pain recurrence after initial pain relief. Smaller volume of trigeminal nerve area irradiated more than 40Gy was significantly correlated with excellent outcome in both univariate and multivariate analyses respectively [P=0.033 and 0.040]. Conclusion : Anatomical considerations during the planning of GKS would be helpful for predicting clinical outcome in TN.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.821-827
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• 2022

Objective: To determine the anatomical characteristics of the petrous ridge and trigeminal nerve in trigeminal neuralgia (TN) without neurovascular compression (NVC). Materials and Methods: From May 2017 to March 2021, 66 patients (49 female and 17 male; mean age ± standard deviation [SD], 56.8 ± 13.3 years) with TN without NVC and 57 controls (46 female and 11 male; 52.0 ± 15.6 years) were enrolled. The angle of the petrous ridge (APR) and angle of the trigeminal nerve (ATN) were measured using magnetic resonance imaging with a high-resolution three-dimensional T2 sequence. Data on the symptomatic side were compared with those on the asymptomatic side in patients and with the mean measurements of the bilateral sides in controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to evaluate the performance of APR and ATN in distinguishing TN patients from controls. Results: In TN patients without NVC, the mean ± standard deviation (SD) of APR on the symptomatic side (98.40° ± 19.75°) was significantly smaller than that of the asymptomatic side (105.59° ± 22.45°, p = 0.019) and controls (108.44° ± 15.98°, p = 0.003). The mean ATN ± SD on the symptomatic side (144.41° ± 8.92°) was significantly smaller than that of the asymptomatic side (149.67° ± 8.09°, p = 0.003) and controls (150.45° ± 8.48°, p = 0.001). The area under the ROC curve for distinguishing TN patients from controls was 0.673 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.579-0.758) for APR and 0.700 (CI: 0.607-0.782) for ATN. The sensitivity and specificity using the diagnostic cutoff yielding the highest Youden index were 81.8% (54/66) and 49.1% (28/57), respectively, for APR (with a cutoff score of 94.30°) and 65.2% (43/66) and 66.7% (38/57), respectively, for ATN (cutoff score, 148.25°). Conclusion: In patients with TN without NVC, APR and ATN were smaller than those in controls, which may explain the potential cause of TN and provide additional information for diagnosis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1345-1351
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• 2000

Objective : Around the sellar area, there are many important structures. But, the optimal radiation dosage for minimal toxicity to surrounding neural tissue has not been firmly established. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the radiosurgical outcome of juxtasellar tumors and to investigate the relationship between radiation dosage and toxicity to neural tissue. Method : Between May 1992 and June 2000, we treated 65 juxtasellar tumors by using the Leksell Gamma Knife. Among them, 52 patients who could be followed more than 1 year were included in this study. The radiosurgical dosage to the optic pathway, cavernous sinus, Meckel's cave, hypothalamus, pituitary gland and stalk, and brain stem was analyzed and correlated with clinical outcome. The mean follow-up period was 33.5 months(range 12.2- 99.0 months). Result : The clinical response rate was 69.2%. The volume response rate was 61.0% and the radiologic control rate was 92.7%. There were 4 complications(7.7%) of 2 trigeminal neuropathy, 1 abducens nerve palsy, and 1 trigeminal and transient abducens nerve palsy. The optic apparatus appeared to tolerate doses greater than 10Gy. The risk of cranial nerve complications in cavernous sinus seemed to be related to doses of more than 16Gy. In 3 of 4 patients who received more than 16Gy to cavernous sinus, the abducens or trigeminal neuropathy occurred. Also, one patient who received more than 15Gy to the Meckel's cave, trigeminal neuropathy developed. The hypothalamus, pituitary gland and stalk, and brain stem were relatively tolerable to radiation. Conclusion : Gamma Knife radiosurgery seems to be an effective method to control the growth of juxtasellar tumors. To avoid injury to surrounding important neural tissue, careful dose planning and further study for radiation toxicity to neural tissue were needed.