Journal of the American Medical Association · 1928 · 11 citations · 0 references
MedicineNeurologyCranial Nerve DisordersNeurotologyOral DiagnosisHeadache AssessmentHeadache DisordersPain CharacterizationTrigeminal Nerve DisordersTrigeminal NeuralgiaTrigeminal Nerve Pain
The diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia can usually be made without difficulty owing to the peculiar and unmistakable paroxysmal nature of the attacks and to the patient's characteristic behavior during one of them. Even in the intervals between the paroxysms of pain, it may be possible to recognize the condition. If a patient endeavors to protect his face against touch and draft or hardly moves his lips when speaking, if the upper lip is slightly drawn up in order to avoid its contact with the under lip or if the moustache or beard is neglected and dirty on one side, while it is well taken care of on the other, there can be no doubt that one is dealing with a trigeminal neuralgia. Apart from such typical cases there are a great many without such infallible signs. As there are usually no objective observations, the diagnosis must be based exclusively on