Open AccessFacial Pain: A Comprehensive Review and Proposal for a Pragmatic Diagnostic Approach
Author(s) -
Laura Van Deun,
Muriel de Witte,
Thaïs Goessens,
Stijn Halewyck,
Marie-Christine Ketelaer,
Miliça Matic,
Maarten Moens,
Peter Vaes,
Michel Van Lint,
Jan Versijpt
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.573
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1421-9913
pISSN - 0014-3022
DOI - 10.1159/000505727
Subject(s) - medicine , etiology , facial pain , referral , complaint , nose , psychiatry , family medicine , surgery , political science , law
Background: Facial pain, alone or combined with other symptoms, is a frequent complaint. Moreover, it is a symptom situated at, more than any other pain condition, a crosspoint where several disciplines meet, for example, dentists; manual therapists; ophthalmologists; psychologists; and ear-nose-throat, pain, and internal medicine physicians besides neurologists and neurosurgeons. Recently, a new version of the most widely used classification system among neurologists for headache and facial pain, the International Classification of Headache Disorders, has been published. Objective: The aims of this study were to provide an overview of the most prevalent etiologies of facial pain and to provide a generic framework for the neurologist on how to manage patients presenting with facial pain. Methods: An overview of the different etiologies of facial pain is provided from the viewpoint of the respective clinical specialties that are confronted with facial pain. Key message: Caregivers should “think outside their own box” and refer to other disciplines when indicated. If not, a correct diagnosis can be delayed and unnecessary treatments might be given. The presented framework is aimed at excluding life- or organ-threatening diseases, providing several clinical clues and indications for technical investigations, and ultimately leading to the correct diagnosis and/or referral to other disciplines.