Surgery | Common Surgical Conditions | Neurology and Neurosurgery Facial Pain

Neurology & Neurosurgery: Facial Pain
Session Overview
Description
This session focusses upon the diagnosis, investigation and management of facial pain.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Perform a focussed facial pain history and examination
• Recall the differential diagnosis of facial pain
• Describe commonly used investigations in the assessment of facial pain
• Outline the medical management of neurological facial pain
• Describe the surgical options for the management of neurological facial pain

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should:

• Revise cranial nerve anatomy

Facial pain is a common symptom and has a wide differential diagnosis in the community.

The main health care professionals who treat patients with facial pain are:

• Dentists
• Oral physicians / Maxillofacial surgeons
• Neurologists /Neurosurgeons
• Ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeons
• Ophthalmologists

Completing this session will allow you to assess patients with facial pain and identify where further investigation is appropriate.

A detailed account of how to manage all types of facial pain is beyond the scope of this session, but you will gain an understanding of the surgical and non-surgical treatment options for neurological causes of facial pain.