title: Cerebellopontine angle mass mimicking lingual nerve injury after dental implant placement: a case report.
abstract: This is a rare case report of a cerebellopontine angle (CPA) mass mimicking lingual nerve injury after a dental implant placement. Lingual nerve injury is a common complication following dental implant placement. CPA masses are likely to cause symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia, and thus can mimic and be easily confused with oral diseases. We experienced a case of CPA mass mimicking lingual nerve injury after dental implant placement. The patient was a 57-year-old Japanese female who complained of glossalgia. She underwent dental implant placement in the mandible before visiting our clinic. Panoramic x-ray radiography revealed no abnormalities; the salivary flow rate by gum test was 7.0 ml/10 min. She was diagnosed with lingual nerve injury and secondary burning mouth syndrome. Vitamin B12 and oral moisturizer did not provide relief; furthermore, numbness in the lower lip emerged. A Semmes Weinstein test demonstrated elevation of her sensitivity threshold. Finally, magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 20-mm diameter mass in the CPA. The patient is now being followed under conservative management. Our experience underscores the importance of including CPA mass in the differential diagnosis of dental diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Institute of Health Biosciences, Graduate Faculty of Dentistry, Tokushima University, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Momota
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Institute of Health Biosciences, Graduate Faculty of Dentistry, Tokushima University, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kani
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Institute of Health Biosciences, Graduate Faculty of Dentistry, Tokushima University, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Institute of Health Biosciences, Graduate Faculty of Dentistry, Tokushima University, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azuma
mesh_terms: D002054:Burning Mouth Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis; D002526:Cerebellar Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002530:Cerebellopontine Angle / Q000473:pathology*; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005926:Glossalgia / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D061222:Lingual Nerve Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D014277:Trigeminal Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants
keywords: Cerebellopontine angle mass; dental implant placement; lingual nerve injury