Knowledge Base

Posted on Jan 30, 2011

Multiple sclerosis (MS) can cause a variety of neurological symptoms depending on the localization of lesions including visual dysfunction (optic neuritis), sensory or motor symptoms and cognitive dysfunction. Pain is estimated to occur in 29–86% of MS patients [1,2]. Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), neuropathic and somatic pain are reported to be associated with MS [3,4]. Studies, investigating the association of MS and headache have produced conflicting results. Lifetime prevalence of headache was reported between 4% and 58% [5–7].

Posted on Jan 22, 2011

Headache has been described as the most common medical complaint known to man. • The majority of patients presenting with headache and chronic facial pain have a normal neurological examination. • The International Classification of Headache Disorders (2005) classifies headache into 14 main categories and more than 300 headache disorders. • Migraine management includes correct diagnosis, explanation, reassurance, predisposing/trigger identification and avoidance, and drug/non-drug intervention. • Multidisciplinary management of headache and chronic facial pain is of major importance. This article explores headache and chronic facial pain disorders that commonly present to the chronic pain clinician.

Posted on Jan 18, 2011

What is Anesthesia Dolorosa (AD)? The cause of AD. Why AD occurs. What the pain of AD feels like. Why it’s important to distinguish the difference between AD and TN. Treatments for AD.

Posted on Jan 15, 2011

Glossopharyngeal (that is, cranial nerve IX) schwannomas are extremely rare nerve sheath tumors that frequently mimic the more common vestibular schwannoma in their clinical as well as radiographic presentation. Although rare in adults, this tumor has not been reported in a child. The authors report the case of a 10-year-old boy who presented with several months of unilateral hearing loss. He was found to have a large right cerebellopontine angle tumor. Given the boy’s primary complaint of hearing loss and the appearance of the lesion on imaging, the tumor was initially believed to be a schwannoma of the vestibular nerve. It was found intraoperatively, however, to originate from the glossopharyngeal nerve. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of a glossopharyngeal schwannoma in a child. (DOI: 10.3171/PED/2008/2/8/130)