Abstract

Trigeminal neuralgia is a neuropathic pain disorder characterized by elicited paroxysms of stabbing pain in a specific region. Trigeminal neuralgia is classified into three types: classical, secondary, and idiopathic. The classic type, which is the most common, is caused by vascular compression of the trigeminal nerve root. Carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine are the first-line treatment choice for trigeminal neuralgia and offer meaningful pain control in almost 90% of patients. However, if there is no response to medical treatment, secondary trigeminal neuralgia should be considered. Secondary trigeminal neuralgia is attributed to an identifiable neurologic disease. Additionally, there are various secondary causes such as skull base fractures and paranasal sinus lesion. Two cases of secondary trigeminal neuralgia caused by maxillary sinus cyst were previously reported in South Korea. We experienced 3 cases of secondary trigeminal neuralgia induced by maxillary sinus cyst, which exhibited different clinical and radiological findings compared to the previous cases.

• Keywords: Trigeminal neuralgia; Maxillary sinus cyst; Carbamazepine