Your female patient is experiencing sharp, stabbing, right-sided face pain of her upper and lower lips, cheek, and around her orbit. This best describes:
A) a cluster headache.
B) temporomandibular joint syndrome.
C) trigeminal neuralgia.
D) Bell's palsy.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The description fits trigeminal neuralgia, which is characterized by sudden, severe, stabbing pain in the distribution of the trigeminal nerve (upper and lower lips, cheek, and orbit). Cluster headaches typically cause pain around the eye area but are not associated with pain in the lips or cheek. Temporomandibular joint syndrome may cause facial pain, but it is typically located in the jaw and not the upper and lower lips. Bell's palsy causes facial weakness or paralysis, but not pain.

Your Female Patient Is Experiencing Sharp, Stabbing, Right-Sided Face Pain