The Anatomical Distribution of Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Perspective and Future Directions

Thank you for the invitation to present my views on the recent and very interesting clinical study by Bangash (1), wherein the location of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) among afflicted patients is described. It is very important that such clinical studies are conducted to characterize TN, for whilst the disease is relatively rare, it is nevertheless poorly understood, resulting in unsatisfactory treatment and profound suffering for the afflicted individual. Beyond these direct effects, TN, as with all types of chronic pain, is associated with other comorbidities, including depression, anxiety and drug abuse (2), as well as a significant economic burden to the health system and to society. The findings presented by Bangash (1) raise a number of interesting questions that warrant follow-up in additional studies, to aid in interpreting the results. The increased incidence of TN affecting the mandibular division in this patient population is an interesting finding, and Bangash (1) notes some potential reasons for this division being affected in particular.