Symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia secondary to tumours: A case series

Trigeminal neuralgia (TGN) is an extremely painful condition affecting the face. Although the precise mechanism of TGN is still incompletely understood, it is believed that the majority of patients have some form of compression of the nerve caused by blood vessels. However, a proportion of patients may have TGN caused by involvement of the nerve by space occupying lesions such as tumours. Six cases of TGN secondary to tumours that involved the trigeminal nerve are presented. The importance of thorough clinical examination as well as diagnostic imaging in the assessment and management of TGN patients is discussed.