Journal of cranio-maxillo-facial surgery : official publication of the European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery
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J Craniomaxillofac Surg · Apr 2002
Case ReportsTrigeminocardiac reflex: a unique case of recurrent asystole during bilateral trigeminal sensory root rhizotomy.
The trigeminocardiac reflex is the sudden-onset of dysrhythmia and hypotension during manipulation of any of the branches of the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve and cardioinhibitory vagus nerve constitute the afferent and efferent pathways in the reflex arc. The trigeminocardiac reflex has been reported to occur during craniofacial surgery, balloon-compression rhizolysis of the trigeminal ganglion, and tumour resection in the cerebellopontine angle. ⋯ Sectioning of the intracranial dorsal sensory root of the trigeminal nerve provides clear evidence of the central role of the trigeminal nerve as the afferent pathway of the trigeminocardiac reflex arc.