TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA RELATED TO CEREBELLOPONTINE ANGLE TUMORS

A review of 30 cases with cerebellopontine angle tumors was carried ou t to identify patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) at presentation and to compare them with patients without TN. The study shows that der moid tumors and the presence of tumor at the apex of petrous bone on C T are associated with a significantly higher incidence of TN, while th e incidence did not appear to be influenced by age. sex, or size of tu mor. In all patients but one (with medulloblastoma) that had surgery, there the TN disappeared following total or subtotal excision of the t umor, providing the trigeminal nerve was well decompressed. Patients w ith TN should be investigated carefully by CT or MRI irrespective of t heir age or the absence of neurological signs.