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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Diagnosed With Trigeminal Neuralgia, Have Intense Pain At The Base Of Head. What Is The Cause?

I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia about 2 years ago. This pain is excruciating but luckily I only get about 2 cycles a year. Lately I have been getting severe pain in the base of my head on the left side, could this be a similar issue? I know this is not a migrane it is very specific an I don t get any other migraine symptoms except nausea .
Mon, 22 Sep 2014
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Internal Medicine Specialist 's  Response
Hello,

It is well known that 95% of the causes of trigeminal neuralgia is pressure on the trigeminal nerve close to where it enters the brain stem (the lowest part of the brain that merges with the spinal cord), past the Gasserian ganglion.
In most cases, this pressure seems to be caused by an artery or vein compressing the trigeminal nerve.
The pain in trigeminal neuralgia can be along any of the branches of the trigeminal nerve or anywhere along the nerve. So the new onset pain is part of the trigeminal neuralgia.
It can be confirmed if a high resolution MRI shows the abnormal structure and the if so the problem can be solved through surgery.
If you have further query, I am available.
Dr. Noble Zachariah.
If the answer has helped you, please indicate . Thank you.
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Diagnosed With Trigeminal Neuralgia, Have Intense Pain At The Base Of Head. What Is The Cause?

Hello, It is well known that 95% of the causes of trigeminal neuralgia is pressure on the trigeminal nerve close to where it enters the brain stem (the lowest part of the brain that merges with the spinal cord), past the Gasserian ganglion. In most cases, this pressure seems to be caused by an artery or vein compressing the trigeminal nerve. The pain in trigeminal neuralgia can be along any of the branches of the trigeminal nerve or anywhere along the nerve. So the new onset pain is part of the trigeminal neuralgia. It can be confirmed if a high resolution MRI shows the abnormal structure and the if so the problem can be solved through surgery. If you have further query, I am available. Dr. Noble Zachariah. If the answer has helped you, please indicate . Thank you.