Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Trigeminal involvement in intracranial tumours. Anatomical and clinical observations on 73 patients

  • Clinical Articles
  • Published:
Acta Neurochirurgica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Neoplastic involvement of the trigeminal nerve was observed in 73 patients operated on in our institution for extra-axial tumours of the posterior and middle cranial fossae.

It was defined as contact, compression, or infiltration. The nerve root was involved in 58 patients, the ganglion and/or the peripheral divisions in 9, all portions of the Vth nerve system in 6. A clinical trigeminal dysfunction was present in 44 patients (60%).

Anatomico-surgical findings are correlated with clinical features and with tumour type. Typical trigeminal neuralgia was the complaint in 7 subjects; all of them presented an involvement of the sensory root.

Post-operatively, 11 patients were relieved of their symptoms. The outcome is correlated with the anatomical findings and with the extent of surgical removal of the tumours.

The importance of a careful evaluation of patients with trigeminal symptomatology is stressed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Apfelbaum RI (1984) Surgery for tic douloureux. Clin Neurosurg 31: 351–368

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bullitt E, Tew JM, Boyd J (1986) Intracranial tumors in patients with facial pain. J Neurosurg 64: 865–871

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Burchiel KJ (1980) Abnormal impulse generation in focally demyelinated trigeminal roots. J Neurosurg 53: 674–683

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Calvin WH, Loeser JD, Howe JF (1977) A neurophysiological theory for the pain mechanism of tic douloureux. Pain 3: 147–154

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Cruccu G, Leandri M, Feliciani M, Manfredi M (1990) Idiopathic and symptomatic trigeminal pain. J Neurol Neurosurg Physchiatry 53: 1034–1042

    Google Scholar 

  6. Delfini R, Innocenzi G, Ciappetta P, Domenicucci M, Cantore G (1992) Meningiomas of Meckel's cave. Neurosurgery 31: 1000–1007

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Edwards CH, Paterson JH (1951) A review of the symptoms and signs of acoustic neurofibromata. Brain 74: 144–190

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Fromm GH, Chatta AS, Terrence CF, Class JD (1981) Role of inhibitory mechanism in trigeminal neuralgia. Neurology 31: 683–687

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Gardner WJ (1968) Trigeminal neuralgia. Clin Neurosurg 15: 1–56

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Grand W, Bakay L (1975) Posterior fossa meningiomas: a report of 30 cases. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 32: 219–233

    Google Scholar 

  11. Hori T. Numata H, Hokama Y, Muraoka K, Takami M, Saito Y (1983) Trigeminal pain caused by a parapontine epidermal cyst. Surg Neurol 19: 517–519

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Jannetta PJ (1977) Treatment of trigeminal neuralgia by suboccipital and transtentorial cranial operations. Clin Neurosurg 24: 538–549

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. McCormick PC, Bello JA, Post KD (1988) Trigeminal schwannoma. Surgical series of 14 cases with review of the literature. J Neurosurg 69: 850–860

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Moller AR (1991) The cranial nerve vascular compression syndrome: II. A review of pathophysiology. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 113: 24–30

    Google Scholar 

  15. Morard M, de Tribolet N (1988) Les kystes epidermoides de l'angle pontocerebelleux. Neurochirurgie 34: 253–257

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Nguyen M, Maciewicz R, Bouckoms A, Poletti C, Ojemann R (1986) Facial pain symptoms in patients with cerebellopontine angle tumors: a report of 44 cases of cerebellopontine angle meningioma and a review of the literature. Clin J Pain 2: 3–9

    Google Scholar 

  17. Ogleznev KY, Grigoryan YA, Slavin KV (1991) Parapontine epidermoid tumours presenting as trigeminal neuralgias: anatomical findings and operative results. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 110: 116–119

    Google Scholar 

  18. Rappaport ZH (1985) Epidermoid tumor of the cerebellopontine angle as a cause of trigeminal neuralgia. Neurochirurgia 28: 211–212

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Revilla AG (1947) Tic douloureux and its relationship to tumors of the posterior fossa: analysis of twenty-four cases. J Neurosurg 4: 233–239

    Google Scholar 

  20. Ruge D, Brochner R, Davis L (1958) A study of the treatment of 637 patients with trigeminal neuralgia. J Neurosurg 15: 528–536

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Tekkok IH, Suzer T, Erbengi A (1992) Non-acoustic tumors of the cerebello-pontine angle. Neurosurg Rev 15: 117–123

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Wepsic JC (1973) Tic douloureux: etiology, refined treatment. N Engl J Med 288: 680–681

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Neurochirurgia, Università Cattolica, Roma, Italia

    A. Puca, M. Meglio, G. Tamburrini & R. Vari

Authors
  1. A. Puca
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Meglio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. G. Tamburrini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. R. Vari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Puca, A., Meglio, M., Tamburrini, G. et al. Trigeminal involvement in intracranial tumours. Anatomical and clinical observations on 73 patients. Acta neurochir 125, 47–51 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01401827

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01401827

Keywords

Search

Navigation