Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2022.61.s2.16
Evaulation of Blink Reflex between Patients with Idiopathic Trigeminal Neuralgia and Healthy Volunteers
Tomislav Badel
; Department of Removable Prosthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vanja Bašić Kes
; Department of Neurology, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vjekoslav Jerolimov
; Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
Dijana Zadravec
; Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivana Savić Pavičin
orcid.org/0000-0002-5210-1765
; Department of Dental Athropology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Sandra Anić Milošević
; Department of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to find differences in the parameters of the response
to the blink reflex (BR) between patients with idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and health volunteers.
A prospective cohort study was conducted over 2 years. The TN-subgroup included 15 patients
(mean age / SD 62.3 ± 10.7 years). Pain-free and healthy volunteers as a HV-subgroup (mean age
/ SD: 30.8 ± 8.1 years) were recruited from asymptomatic students of dental medicine. Diagnostic
parameters were determined by measuring latency to the onset of the BR components from electric
stimulation. The following branches of the trigeminal nerve were affected: maxillary branch only
(26.7%), mandibular branch only (20%), combined: ophthalmic branch with maxillary branch (6.7 %),
and ophthalmic branch with mandibular branch (6.7%) respectively, combined maxillary and mandibular
branch (26.7%) and affected all three branches (13.4%). The latencies of the BR, left and right
side together, between subgroups were significantly higher for values R1 (homolateral early response),
R2 (homolateral late response), R2c latency (contralaterally expressed response) in the TN-subgroup
(p < 0.05). On the basis of the presence of R1c and R3 latencies and upon considering the abnormal
findings of the BR, no statistically significant differences were found between the examined subgroups
(p > 0.05). Blink-reflex parameters (R1, R2 and R2c) were significantly abnormal comparing TN-patients
with healthy volunteers. The R3 component of the BR was related to noxious stimuli, likewise
by innocuous stimuli.
Keywords
Orofacial Pain; Trigeminal Neuralgia; Blink Reflex
Hrčak ID:
284408
URI
Publication date:
1.9.2022.
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