A 53-year-old woman with history of paroxysms pain in the maxillary and mandibular right regions, with trigger zones on the nose wing and right tongue, and ipsilateral clear hairy tongue sign (Figure 1A). Following microvascular decompression surgery targeting a trigeminal nerve emergence vascular loop 11 . Maranhão-Filho PA. Neuralgia do trigêmeo com alça vascular bulbomedular (1996). In: Maranhão-Filho PA (Ed). Autores Brasileiros. Mais de um século de sinais, síndromes e outras contribuições neurológicas e neurocirúrgicas (1878-1998). Editora Omnifarma, São Paulo, 1 a edição, 2008:83-85. , there was complete relief of pain and disappearance of the sign (Figure 1B). Hairy tongue discoloration is attributed to hypertrophy of keratinized filiform papillae that do not renew due to lack of mechanical stimulation in order to avoid pain 22 . Cheshire WP. Unilateral black hair tongue in trigeminal neuralgia. Headache 2004;44:908-910. . We emphasize that pain elimination and return to normal tongue color are indicative signs of therapeutic success.
Acknowledgment:
The authors are grateful to Péricles Maranhão Neto for his technical assistance.
References
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1Maranhão-Filho PA. Neuralgia do trigêmeo com alça vascular bulbomedular (1996). In: Maranhão-Filho PA (Ed). Autores Brasileiros. Mais de um século de sinais, síndromes e outras contribuições neurológicas e neurocirúrgicas (1878-1998). Editora Omnifarma, São Paulo, 1 a edição, 2008:83-85.
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2Cheshire WP. Unilateral black hair tongue in trigeminal neuralgia. Headache 2004;44:908-910.
Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
01 Dec 2013
History
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Received
03 June 2013 -
Accepted
11 June 2013
