[Atypical facial pains--sluder's neuralgia--local treatment of the sphenopalatine ganglion with phenol--case report].
OBJECTIVE
Chronic reccuring head and facial pain can be very difficult for successful treatment. Such a pain can be in some rare cases Sluder's sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia. The aim of the study was to obtain the pain relief by local treatment in patients with Sluder's sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia.


METHODS
We described three cases of Sluder's neuralgia among all the seventeen patients with reccuring head and face pain that were seen in our department. In all these cases 4% Xylocaine was applied intranasally, into the region of shenopalatine ganglion, behind the posterior tip of the middle turbinate four times for ten minutes. According to Kern, the diagnosis of Sluder's neuralgia was confirmed only in cases where local anesthetic block of the sphenopaltine ganglion was successful. It means the patients were pain-free for at least an hour after application of Xylocaine, so they were qualified for phenolization and 88% phenol was applied on the cotton carriers (number of the applications depended on the patient).


RESULTS
The total relief of pain of different duration was obtained in all the presented cases.


CONCLUSIONS
The relief of pain obtained by intranasal phenolization of sphenopalatine ganglion in three patients shows it could be the effective treatment of Sluder's neuralgia. The patients were totally free from the pain and accompanying symptoms like nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, epiphora or conjunctivitis. The relief period was different but the patients were satisfied with the effectiveness and simplicity of the treatment. They did not need to take the additional medications for months and were able to continue work.
Olszewska-Ziaber
Agnieszka
A
Poradnia Chorób Nosa Uniwersyteckiego Szpitala Klinicznego im. WAM Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lodzi.
Ziaber
Jacek
J
Rysz
Jacek
J
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000368:Aged; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000188:drug therapy; D005156:Facial Neuralgia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005726:Ganglia, Parasympathetic / Q000187:drug effects*; D006261:Headache / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010159:Palate / Q000294:innervation*; D019800:Phenol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013101:Sphenoid Sinus / Q000294:innervation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D019800:Phenol; D008012:Lidocaine