EN - Geniculate Neuralgia Symptoms

Geniculate Neuralgia Symptoms: When to See a Doctor

Geniculate neuralgia, sometimes called geniculate ganglion inflammation or intermedius nerve neuralgia, is a very rare nerve pain that can render people who suffer from this pain incapacitated due to the severity of the pain. This condition occurs when the nervus intermedius nerve in the skull is compressed by a nearby vein. Geniculate neuralgia symptoms can range from moderate to very severe. Because it is located in a complex location and is a rare disease, geniculate neuralgia can be very difficult to treat.

Early Geniculate Neuralgia Symptoms

Geniculate neuralgia symptoms can mimic trigeminal neuralgia and migraine symptoms. You may feel like you are experiencing all of these diseases at the same time, which can make diagnosis and treatment even more difficult. If you or a loved one suffers from geniculate neuralgia, you can compare your experience to the list of early symptoms we have listed below:
. Sharp and sudden pain inside the ear
. Electric shock-like pain that lasts only a few seconds at a time
. A burning sensation in or around the ear that gradually worsens
. Pain centered in the ear that is present when other causes, such as an ear infection or a ruptured or torn eardrum, have been ruled out.

The pain caused by geniculate neuralgia can be indistinguishable at first. Typically, patients experience geniculate neuralgia symptoms as persistent or recurring pain for days or weeks. Because it is a rare condition, doctors may not be experts in diagnosing it or may refer you to an otolaryngologist. Geniculate neuralgia is a neurological disorder and should be treated by a neurologist or neurosurgeon.

Triggers of Geniculate Neuralgia Symptoms

According to some patients, geniculate neuralgia symptoms do not occur with an external stimulus. For many, geniculate neuralgia pain occurs due to specific stimuli. Avoiding these stimuli, protecting yourself, can reduce or (rarely) eliminate this type of pain. Things like cold - like a cold breeze, wind - or very loud noises are more common triggers. Unfortunately, many things that trigger geniculate neuralgia pain cannot be prevented. Yawning, swallowing or sniffling are generally uncomfortable movements. If even one movement bothers your ears, it may be a trigger for geniculate neuralgia pain. Even pain or a touch sensation you feel in or around your ears can trigger the pain. Like the early symptoms, these stimuli may not be very useful in distinguishing whether you have a headache or an earache at first. The pain, duration of the pain, and failure to treat more common earaches can be clues that tell you and your doctor that you need to dig deeper.

Approaching Geniculate Neuralgia Symptoms

If your pain gets worse or lasts longer, you may begin to experience symptoms that range from stabbing pain in your inner ear to stabbing pain. This can make you more likely to have compression of your intermedius nerve, which can signal the nerve and cause the following symptoms:

• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Vertigo (dizziness/imbalance)
• A bad taste in your mouth that you can't explain, like you've eaten or had reflux
• Increased salivation, even if there's no other identifiable cause
• Pain that radiates to the other side of your head, including the part of your face affected by trigeminal neuralgia

Treatment for Geniculate Neuralgia

Both medical and surgical treatments for geniculate neuralgia are similar to those for trigeminal neuralgia. Neurologists start by prescribing antiepileptic drugs, such as Tegretol and Trileptal. Even internal medicine physicians can prescribe painkillers, but these only mask the pain of geniculate neuralgia, which doesn't really solve the problem, and can also pose a risk of addiction. Patients may be more positive about taking one drug after another, but it can take a long time to reach the optimal dose that will minimize or stop the pain. Over time, the dose you are used to may seem too small and you may have to take a higher dose to achieve the same level of comfort. Even if medical treatment is preferred, it may not be the best solution for all patients. Your geniculate neuralgia may not respond to drug treatment at all, or the treatment may lose its effect over time. You may also experience unwanted side effects, especially with higher doses. These side effects may appear as extreme fatigue or numbness, dizziness or worse, vertigo, and you may feel as if your mental abilities are diminishing. When you are weakened and worn out by geniculate neuralgia and these side effects increase in severity, your neurologist may refer you to a brain and neurosurgery specialist. It can occur. Geniculate neuralgia is caused by a vein pressing on the intermedius nerve branch; microvascular decompression is the first surgical option. During this procedure, your surgeon will use imaging devices to locate the compression and then place a cushion between the vein and the affected nerve section. The signals will begin to travel more naturally along this nerve and you will see that the pain is greatly reduced or completely reduced. Depending on your situation, you and your surgeon may choose other methods to completely eliminate or reduce the pain from geniculate neuralgia. In our experience, there were 4 cases of pure geniculate neuralgia. Microsurgical excision of the nernus intermedius was performed as a surgical procedure, resulting in partial pain relief in one case and total pain relief in the others. In geniculate neuralgia surgery, both the glossopharyngeal and trigeinal nerves should be explored and if there is any suspected vascular contact, Teflon should be placed in them.

Microsurgical photo of the case where I cut the nerve intermedius due to left geniculate neuralgia