Anesthesia dolorosa caused by penetrating cranial injury.
Anesthesia dolorosa (AD) is an uncommon complication of surgical treatments for trigeminal neuralgia. Its incidence is around 0.8%. To our best knowledge, AD caused by a penetrating cranial injury has not been reported previously. We report the case of a 31-year-old male patient with left-sided neuropathic keratitis and AD that began 18 years earlier, following a penetrating cranial injury with a knife to the left postauricular area. The patient was successfully treated by a carbamazepine and gabapentin combination. In conclusion, penetrating cranial injury is uncommon but may cause a serious neurologic disturbance. In the differential diagnosis of AD, a penetrating injury should be kept in mind. In these cases, treatments should be effective and immediate; otherwise, this may result in catastrophic consequences such as neurotrophic keratitis and blindness. Ophthalmologists should be aware of these potential problems.
Tatli
Mehmet
M
Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, Dicle University, TR-21280 Diyarbakir, Turkey. mtatli@dicle.edu.tr
Keklikci
Ugur
U
Aluclu
Ufuk
U
Akdeniz
Sedat
S
D000328:Adult; D000758:Anesthesia; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000473:pathology*