Trigeminal neuralgia, migraine and sympathetic hyperactivity in a patient with Parry–Romberg syndrome

Drummond, P.D., Hassard, S. and Finch, P.M. (2006) Trigeminal neuralgia, migraine and sympathetic hyperactivity in a patient with Parry–Romberg syndrome. Cephalalgia, 26 (9). pp. 1146-1149.

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Abstract

Parry–Romberg syndrome is a rare disorder of unknown aetiology that involves slowly progressive but self-limited wasting of subcutaneous tissues on one side of the face, usually in the distribution of a branch of the trigeminal nerve. In an internet survey of 205 people on the mailing list of the ‘Romberg's Connection’ site, 52% reported suffering from migraine and 46% from facial pain, almost always affecting the same side as the atrophy. Headaches and facial pain have also featured in case reports, sometimes in association with an intracranial aneurysm or radiological signs of ipsilateral brain pathology.

We had the opportunity to examine trigeminal and cervical sympathetic nerve function in a woman with right-sided Parry–Romberg syndrome, migraine and trigeminal neuralgia. We wished to determine whether signs of trigeminal or cervical sympathetic hyperactivity were associated with the facial hemiatrophy, because aberrant cranial nerve function has been implicated in the pathophysiology of Parry–Romberg syndrome.