J Orofac Pain
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To determine the ultrastructural characteristics of axons in traumatic neuromas of the human lingual nerve during the surgical removal of lower third molar teeth and to establish whether any characteristics were different between patients with dysesthesia and patients without dysesthesia. ⋯ Damage to the lingual nerve results in marked changes to axon diameter, myelin sheath thickness, and Schwann cell-axon relationships. These ultrastructural changes could contribute to the altered electrophysiological properties of axons trapped within neuromas. However, no significant differences in the ultrastructural characteristics studied were found between specimens from patients with or without symptoms of dysesthesia.
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To compare pressure pain threshold (PPT) values for masticatory muscles in patients with signs and symptoms of myofascial pain and in asymptomatic individuals. ⋯ The masseter and temporalis muscles require different pressures for distinguishing masticatory myofascial pain patients from asymptomatic individuals. Because the highest sensitivity (77%) and LR were found for the anterior temporalis, this muscle was considered to have the most suitable discriminative capacity.
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Occipital neuralgia is an extracranial pain that may be confused with other headaches. It can be attributed to multiple causes. The authors report the case of a 55-year-old woman suffering from right occipital neuralgia secondary to respiratory tract infection that began 6 days before the pain started. ⋯ A month later the patient appeared totally pain-free. The treatment was continued for 3 months, and the patient remained pain-free over a subsequent follow-up period of more than 6 months. Thus, in the case of occipital pain, a careful assessment of symptoms and a thorough history are necessary to obtain the correct diagnosis and to choose the appropriate treatment plan.