Trigeminal Neuralgia - A Case Report with Review of Literature

The largest cranial nerve is the trigeminal nerve which got its name - “trigeminal” - is derived from the fact that each nerve, one on each side of the pons, has three major branches: the ophthalmic nerve (V1), the maxillary nerve (V2) and the mandibular nerve (V3). Purely sensory are the ophthalmic and maxillary nerves, the mandibular nerve has both sensory and motor functions. Trigeminal neuralgia also known as ‘Fothergill's disease' (named after john fothergill) or ‘tic douloureux' is a very peculiar disease [1]. The severe pain is paroxystic and can be triggered by a mild cutaneous stimulus on the face or “trigger zone”. There is no specific etiology that is identified till date and can be attributed to a number of reasons.