Trigeminal neuralgia: review of etiologies and treatments.

Numerous etiologies have been proposed for the pathogenesis of trigeminal neuralgia. For each proposal, there has been an overabundance of management protocols, ranging from pharmacological therapy to craniotomy with microvascular decompression. In addition, several orofacial pain disorders can be confused with trigeminal neuralgia, which makes the diagnosis and management more difficult. This article will discuss the many currently accepted etiologies of trigeminal neuralgia, their respective treatments, and similar orofacial pain disorders.