title: External Nasal Neuralgia: A Neuropathic Pain Within the Territory of the External Nasal Nerve.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nasal pain is a challenging diagnosis and very little has been reported in the neurological literature. The nose is a sophisticated structure regarding its innervation, which is supplied by the first and second divisions of the trigeminal nerve. Painful cranial neuropathies are an important group in the differential diagnosis, although they have been described only scarcely. Here, we report a case that can conform a non-traumatic external nasal nerve neuralgia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 76-year-old woman was referred to our office due to pain in her left nose. She was suffering from daily excruciating attacks, which were strictly limited to the territory supplied by her left external nasal nerve (left ala nasi and apex nasi). She denied previous traumatisms and the ancillary tests did not yield any underlying pathology. An anesthetic blockade of her left external nasal nerve achieved a marked reduction of the number of episodes as well as their intensity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  External nasal neuralgia seems a specific neuralgia causing nasal pain. Anesthetic blockades of the external nasal nerve may be a valid treatment for this condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Héctor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: García-Moreno
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ángel
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Aledo-Serrano
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gimeno-Hernández
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain.|Department of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: María-Luz
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cuadrado
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000379:methods; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D009666:Nose / Q000294:innervation*
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D002045:Bupivacaine
keywords: anesthetic blockade; external nasal nerve; external nasal neuralgia; nasal pain; nasociliary neuralgia