Author(s)

Tatsurou Tanaka, Shunji Shiiba, Eiji Sakamoto, Masafumi Oda, Shinji Kito, Kentaro Ono, Nao Wakasugi-Sato, Shinobu Matsumoto-Takeda, Yuji Seta, Yoshiki Imamura, Seiji Watanabe, Kiyotoshi Inenaga, Yasuhiro Morimoto

Center for Oral Biological Research, Kyushu Dental University, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Department of Control of Physical Functions, Faculty of Dentistry, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Department of Oral Diagnostic Science, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Tokyo, Japan.
Division of Dental Anesthesiology, Kyushu Dental University, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Division of Diagnostic Radiology, Kyushu Dental University, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Division of Oral Histology and Neurobiology, Kyushu Dental University, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Division of Physiology, Kyushu Dental University, Kitakyushu, Japan.

This review article provides doctors and dentists with an introduction to the clinical applications and sig- nificance of magnetic resonance cisternography (MRC) for the evaluation of neurovascular compression of the trigeminal nerve in patients with trigeminal neu- ralgia (TN). Specifically, the method and characteris- tics of MRC are first explained using the relevant MR sequences. Next, clinical applications for the diagnosis of TN are discussed. Finally, the significance and util- ity of MRC for effective treatment of patients with TN, such as carbamazepine administration and/or local anesthetic blocks, are presented.

Trigeminal Neuralgia; Diagnosis; MR Cisternography; Carbamazepine; Local Anesthetic Block

Tanaka, T. , Shiiba, S. , Sakamoto, E. , Oda, M. , Kito, S. , Ono, K. , Wakasugi-Sato, N. , Matsumoto-Takeda, S. , Seta, Y. , Imamura, Y. , Watanabe, S. , Inenaga, K. and Morimoto, Y. (2013) Significance and utility of MR cisternography for diagnosis and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Journal of Biomedical Science and Engineering, 6, 365-371. doi: 10.4236/jbise.2013.63A046.