Cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor mimicking dental pain following facial trauma.
Facial injuries are common during workplace accidents. These incidents are also associated with an increase in both mortality and morbidity rates. The following case describes a 40-year-old white Hispanic patient with paroxysmal facial pain on the right side, one year in duration. The patient reported facial trauma as a result of a direct fall thought to be related to his pain complaints five months prior to arriving at the New Jersey Dental School emergency unit. The facial pain was progressively worsening ever since the accident. Upon arrival at the emergency unit, a comprehensive intraoral and extraoral examination was performed. Application of a local anesthetic at the site of the pain produced equivocal results. After obtaining a complete history and clinical examination, an MRI was ordered to rule out the possibility of a space-occupying lesion in the brain considered as a possible source of the pain. This case focuses on different aspects relative to dental care: the importance of a complete history and patient evaluation in order to make an accurate diagnosis; the complexity of orofacial pain; and the training required for dental health care providers who treat unusual oral and facial pain complaints.
Khan
Junad
J
Dept. of Diagnostic Sciences, New Jersey Dental School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 110 Bergen St., Rm. C880 Newark, NJ 07103, USA. junadkhan@gmail.com
Heir
Gary M
GM
Quek
Samuel Y P
SY
D000058:Accidental Falls; D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000328:Adult; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002530:Cerebellopontine Angle / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis; D020433:Trigeminal Nerve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis
D000779:Anesthetics, Local