Trigeminal neuralgia caused by the metastasis of malignant lymphoma to the trigeminal nerve: a case report

The authors cared for a patient suffering from left trigeminal neuralgia who had systemic malignant lymphoma which had been treated with chemotherapy. The lesion of the left trigeminal nerve was not detected by brain CT scans or by the magnetic resonance images made at the onset of trigeminal neuralgia. However, metastasis to the left trigeminal nerve root was disclosed 6 months after the onset of the systemic lymphoma. Open biopsy confirmed lymphomatous involvement of the left trigeminal nerve root. In this case the site of the metastasis was mainly the trigeminal nerve root entry zone in the cerebellopontine cistern, and the lesion caused left trigeminal neuralgia and sensory impairment.