Trigeminal Neuralgia and Other Cranial Neuralgias: A Practical Personalised Holistic Approach

Description of Trigeminal Neuralgia and Other Cranial Neuralgias

Trigeminal neuralgia and other cranial neuralgias comprise a group of facial pain conditions, characterised by disabling pain attacks that selectively respond to specific treatments. Although not as common migraine, they affect over 1% of the population and must be recognised and adequately treated in clinical practice. The spectrum of cranial neuralgias is wide and as a consequence the conditions are managed by a range of different specialists. Studies show that delayed diagnoses and mismanagement are common and can lead to depression and suicide.

36 recognised experts from nine countries have contributed to OPML Trigeminal Neuralgia and Other Cranial Neuralgias to guide you through the maze of pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis-making, and condition-specific treatments. The approach is practical and evidence-based and ready for real-world applications. The value of phenotyping, targeted investigations, and treatment algorithms is emphasised. The editors and contributors subscribe to the view that there needs to be a holistic approach with multidisciplinary teams working together and with patients being at the centre of this process.

Psychologists and patent support groups can help to ensure that patients are managed holistically and share the decision-making process. Their involvement in the handbook has helped to emphasis this. There remain considerable challenges, but the field is rapidly evolving and there are increasing number of opportunities opening up to improve our understanding of these conditions and hence
their management.

The editors and contributors have included case scenarios, algorithms, self-administered tools for training in diagnosis and management, clinical tips and carefully chosen references. Each chapter includes a lay summary and key points and can be read as a stand-alone unit.

About the Author

Joanna M. Zakrzewska, Professor of Pain in Relation to Oral Medicine, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust , UCL, London, UK,Turo Nurmikko, Professor of Pain Science, Neuroscience Research Centre, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK

Turo Nurmikko is a certified Neurologist and Pain Specialist. 1991 he received his PhD (DSurgMedSci) from the University of Tampere, Finland. He established and led the Tampere Pain Clinic Tampere 1983-1994 before moving to work as a Consultant of Relief at the Walton Centre, Liverpool UK until 2015 where he founded and headed a multidisciplinary facial pain clinic 2005-2013.

Read more about: Joanna M. Zakrzewska, Turo Nurmikko