title: Facial sensibility of patients with trigeminal neuralgias.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (ITN) is an excruciating shock-like paroxysmal pain restricted to the trigeminal area of innervation, with discrete loss of sensibility (thermal, tactile and painful). Trigeminal postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a neuropathic pain at the trigeminal territory that persists after Herpes zoster infection, which also is associated to sensorial compromise. The objective of this study was to evaluate the somesthetic facial sensibility (pain, thermal and tactile) and to compare the findings between PHN and ITN.
  
  
  METHODS
  18 patients with PHN and 26 patients with ITN were diagnosed by the IASP criteria. They were evaluated with a systematic approach, which included mechanical, thermal (cold and warm) and painful stimuli.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found statistical significance at the ophthalmic branch of PHN in pain (p=0.001), tactile (p=0.002), cold (p=0.016) and warm (p=0.013); in ITN, the maxillary branch had higher threshold with pinpricks (p=0.016) and the mandibular branch had higher tactile threshold.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The trigeminal area affected by the disease had the higher sensorial losses (ophthalmic branch in PHN and maxillary/mandibular branches in ITN). PHN patients had losses in large and small fibers; therefore, ITN patients had the losses mostly in large fibers, which support different peripheral neural mechanisms for these neuropathic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Orofacial Pain Team, Medical School, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siviero
authors.forename: Fábio Kurogi
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Massako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Manoel Jacobsen
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: José Tadeu Tesseroli
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: de Siqueira
authors.forename: Sílvia Regina Dowgan Tesseroli
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: de Siqueira
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005156:Facial Neuralgia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D051474:Neuralgia, Postherpetic / Q000503:physiopathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D014277:Trigeminal Neuralgia / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology