Percutaneous glycerol rhizolysis of the trigeminal ganglion for the treatment of idiopathic and classic trigeminal neuralgia: Outcomes and complications

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Patients with idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (TN) with absent arterial contact or venous contact only and classic TN with morphological changes of the trigeminal nerve secondary to venous compression are not routinely recommended microvascular decompression at our institution. In patients with these anatomical subtypes of TN, limited data exists describing the outcomes of percutaneous glycerol rhizolysis (PGR) of the trigeminal ganglion (TG).

METHODS

We performed a retrospective single-center cohort study and analyzed outcomes and complications after PGR of the TG. Clinical outcome after PGR of the TG was assessed via the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) Pain Scale.

RESULTS

Forty-five patients underwent a total of 66 PGRs of the TG. At short-term follow-up, 58 procedures (87.9%) resulted in a BNI score of I (i.e., freedom from pain without medication). At a median follow-up of 3.07 years, 18 procedures (27.3%) resulted in a BNI score of I, 12 procedures (18.1%) resulted in BNI score of IIIa, and 36 procedures (54.5%) resulted in a BNI score of IIIb-V. The median length of freedom from pain without medication was 1.5 years. Eighteen procedures (27.3%) caused hypesthesia and two (3.0%) caused paresthesias. There were no serious complications.

CONCLUSION

In patients with these anatomical subtypes of TN there was a high rate of short-term pain relief for the first 1-2 years and thereafter a large proportion of patients experienced pain relapse. In this patient group, PGR of the TG represents a safe procedure that is efficacious in the short term.

Dysmenorrhea Heat Therapy Injury in a Post-Abdominoplasty Patient: A Case Report

The anterolateral abdominal wall has rich neurosensory innervation from many sensory nerves, and in abdominoplasty surgical procedures, these nerves are invariably cut, resulting in anesthesia or hypoesthesia in their respective territories. Here we report a 26-year-old healthy female post-abdominoplasty patient who sustained an incidental contact burn injury from a common home remedy for her menstrual pain. Fortunately, the burn healed with secondary intent. Post-surgical loss of protective sensation facilitated this injury from heat therapy for spasmodic dysmenorrhea. Therefore, the patients planned for abdominoplasty should be informed in advance about the possibility of the development of this complication with its associated sequelae and its prevention. Early recognition of this surgical complication and timely intervention will prevent the consequent disfiguring of the rejuvenated abdominal wall.

Treatment of unexplained facial numbness with stellate ganglion blockade: A case report

To date, there is no established treatment for facial numbness or dysesthesia of unspecified causes. Herein, we report a case of unexplained facial numbness and confirmed hypesthesia that achieved clinical response to stellate ganglion blockade (SGB). SGB might be an effective treatment of psychological stress-related facial numbness of unknown origin.

Numb Chin Syndrome in Sickle Cell Disease: A Systematic Review and Recommendations for Investigation and Management

Numb chin syndrome (NCS) is a rare sensory neuropathy resulting from inferior alveolar or mental nerve injury. It manifests as hypoesthesia, paraesthesia, or, rarely, as pain in the chin and lower lip. Several case reports suggest that sickle cell disease (SCD) could be a cause of NCS. However, information about NCS is scarce in this population. Our objectives were to synthesize all the available literature relevant to NCS in SCD and to propose recommendations for diagnosis and management based on the best available evidence. A systematic review was performed on several databases to identify all relevant publications on NCS in adults and children with SCD. We identified 73 publications; fourteen reports met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. These described 33 unique patients. Most episodes of NCS occurred in the context of typical veno-occlusive crises that involved the mandibular area. Radiological signs of bone infarction were found on some imaging, but not all. Neuropathy management was mostly directed toward the underlying cause. Overall, these observations suggest that vaso-occlusion and bone infarction could be important pathophysiological mechanisms of NCS. However, depending on the individual context, we recommend a careful evaluation to rule out differential causes, including infections, local tumors, metastatic disease, and stroke.

Altered pain sensitivity in 5×familial Alzheimer disease mice is associated with dendritic spine loss in anterior cingulate cortex pyramidal neurons

ABSTRACT

Chronic pain is highly prevalent. Individuals with cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer disease are a susceptible population in which pain is frequently difficult to diagnosis. It is still unclear whether the pathological changes in patients with Alzheimer disease will affect pain processing. Here, we leverage animal behavior, neural activity recording, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and Alzheimer disease modeling to examine the contribution of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) neurons to pain response. The 5× familial Alzheimer disease mice show alleviated mechanical allodynia which can be regained by the genetic activation of ACC excitatory neurons. Furthermore, the lower peak neuronal excitation, delayed response initiation, as well as the dendritic spine reduction of ACC pyramidal neurons in 5×familial Alzheimer disease mice can be mimicked by Rac1 or actin polymerization inhibitor in wild-type (WT) mice. These findings indicate that abnormal of pain sensitivity in Alzheimer disease modeling mice is closely related to the variation of neuronal activity and dendritic spine loss in ACC pyramidal neurons, suggesting the crucial role of dendritic spine density in pain processing.

Effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on orofacial sensory disturbance following inferior alveolar nerve injury: Role of neurotrophin-3 signaling

Percutaneous treatment of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) to the site of inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) transection promotes functional regeneration, but the detailed mechanism is unknown. We examined the involvement of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), which primarily binds with tropomyosin receptor kinase C (TrkC), in functional transected IAN regeneration following LIPUS treatment in rats. Daily LIPUS treatment to the transected IAN was performed, and the mechanical sensitivity of the facial skin was measured for 14 d. On day 5 after IAN transection, the expression of NT-3 in the transected IAN and TrkC-positive trigeminal ganglion neurons were immunohistochemically examined. Further, the effect of TrkC neutralization on the acceleration of facial mechanosensory disturbance restoration due to LIPUS treatment was analyzed. LIPUS treatment to the site of IAN transection significantly facilitated functional recovery from sensory disturbance on facial skin. Schwann cells in the transected IAN expressed NT-3, and LIPUS treatment increased the amount of NT-3. The facilitated recovery from the mechanosensory disturbance by continuous LIPUS treatment was inhibited by the ongoing TrkC neutralization at the IAN transection site. These results suggest that LIPUS treatment accelerates the recovery of orofacial mechanosensory function following IAN transection through the enhancement of NT-3 signaling in the transected IAN.

Cranial nerve V2 and Vidian nerve trauma secondary to lateral pterygoid recess encephalocele repair

BACKGROUND

The incidence of adverse sequelae related to trauma of cranial nerve V₂ (V2) and the Vidian nerve (VN) during endoscopic pterygoid recess repair (PRR) of lateral sphenoid encephalocele is insufficiently reported in the medical literature. As part of our quality assessment and improvement program we sought to analyze the incidence and severity of V2 and VN injury during a 9-year experience (2010-2018) with PRR.

METHODS

Hypoesthesia, paresthesia, and dry eye and their impact on patient quality of life were sought through chart review and a self-reported 0 to 5 Likert scale for each symptom.

RESULTS

Thirty-five patients underwent repair of spontaneous cerebrospinal-fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea, with 11 consecutive patients undergoing endoscopic PRR. Mean follow-up for PRR was 32.5 months (range, 2.4 to 103.3 months). Although definitive management resulted in 100% success, 1 required secondary treatment. Eight patients were available for long-term follow-up (72.7%) and completed a symptom severity questionnaire using a Likert-scale. All patients observed either hypoesthesia, paresthesia, or dry eye of varying gradation (scale, 0 to 5). None described disabling symptoms, and some reported gradual improvement. Numbness, paresthesia, and dry eye were reported by 6 of 8 (75%), 5 of 8 (62.5%), and 4 of 8 (50%) patients, respectively. The mean Likert score among the 8 patients who completed this questionnaire noticing hypoesthesia, paresthesia, and dry eye was 2.6, 1.3, and 1.8, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Meticulous surgical technique is paramount for successful PRR and minimizing nerve injury, yet the anatomic variation of the lateral pterygoid recess can be challenging, and neural injury is a real risk. Preoperatively, patients should be counseled that although V2 or VN injury is common, most patients describe resulting symptoms to be rarely bothersome.

An Anatomical Study to the Branching Pattern of the Posterior Interosseous Nerve on the Dorsal Side of the Hand

Partial denervation of the wrist can benefit patients with chronic wrist pain. A complication of partial denervation is loss of proprioception and hypesthesia on the dorsal side of the hand. Our aim is to evaluate whether the sensory branches of the posterior interosseous nerve could contribute to the loss of proprioception and sensation. The branching pattern of the posterior interosseous nerve was studied in 20 cadaveric hands. The terminal branches of the posterior interosseous nerve reached the metacarpophalangeal joints in three specimens (15%), the midshaft of the metacarpals in three specimens (15%), carpometacarpal joints in 11 specimens (55%), and the scapholunate joint in three specimens (15%). The finding that terminal branches of the posterior interosseous nerve can reach the metacarpals and the metacarpophalangeal joints indicates that the posterior nerve may contribute to the proprioception and sensation of the dorsal side of the hand. Clin. Anat., 33:678-682, 2020. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Lower Back Pain with Sciatic Disorder Following L5 Dermatome Caused by Herpes Zoster Infection

We report the case of a 62-year-old patient with lower back pain radiating into the right leg accompanied by numbness. The pain had an acute onset and was resistant to conservative pain treatment. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the lumbar spine showed no degenerative discovertebral lesions, but a swelling of the nerve root supplying the affected dermatome. For pain treatment the patient received lumbar epidural infiltrations. During this treatment the patient suddenly developed a skin rash with grouped vesicular blisters on an erythematous ground. After the diagnosis of a lumbar herpes zoster and an acyclovir treatment, the patient could be discharged in an ameliorated condition. This case demonstrates the importance to consider rare causes of lumbosciatic pain and disorders and to acknowledge unspecific changes in a MRI scan.

Extradural giant multiloculated arachnoid cyst causing spinal cord compression in a child

BACKGROUND

Spinal extradural arachnoid cysts are rare expanding lesions in the spinal canal. Enlargement may cause progressive signs and symptoms caused by spinal cord compression. They are associated with trauma, surgery, arachnoiditis, and neural tube defects. Most nontraumatic spinal extradural arachnoid cysts are thought to be congenital.

DESIGN

Case report and literature review.

FINDINGS

A 9-year-old boy with mild paraparesis was found to have an extradural multiloculated arachnoid cyst with fibrous septa at T4-L3 levels and anterior compression and displacement of the spinal cord.

CONCLUSIONS

Definitive treatment of arachnoid cyst entails radical cyst removal and dura cleft repair. Formation of a postoperative cerebrospinal fluid fistula may require external lumbar drainage.