MR Imaging of Trigeminal Neuropathy

Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University The trigeminal nerve is the largest of the cranial nerves and has both sensory and motor functions. It can be divided into proximal (brainstem, preganglionic, gasserian ganglion, and cavernous sinus) and distal (extracranial opthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular) segments. Patients with trigeminal neuropathy present with a wide variety of symptoms, and lesions producing those symptoms may occur anywhere along the protracted course of the trigeminal nerve, from its distal facial branches to its nuclear columns in the brainstem. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the normal anatomy of the trigeminal nerve and associated various pathologic conditions. These are arranged anatomically according to their site of interaction with it.