Altered cutaneous sensation in trigeminal neuralgia
T. J. Nurmikko
Department of Neurology, University Central Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
Noninvasive quantitative somatosensory tests were used to measure sensory
perception thresholds on the faces of 26 patients with idiopathic
trigeminal neuralgia. The affected divisions were determined by the
presence of trigger zones. Elevations of thresholds of sensations subserved
by both large- and small-diameter fibers were found both in the affected
and in the unaffected adjacent divisions when compared with the healthy
side. The findings are interpreted as further evidence of combined
peripheral and central pathologic conditions in idiopathic trigeminal
neuralgia.
