A 17-year-old high school girl went to the dentist when she had a toothache that would not go away because she thought it was simply a toothache, but they could not find anything wrong with her teeth. Since the pain persisted for an entire month, she eventually went to the hospital, where they found a 4cm tumor in her brain. In March she had it surgically removed and has since recovered. Her doctor reminds people that if they have any abnormal pains, they should see a doctor as soon as possible to find out what is causing the pain.
Wu Chi-shun, a neurologist at Chiayi Christian Hospital, says that the girl showed symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia, which is a disorder that usually occurs in middle-aged and elderly people over the age of 50. Its symptoms are rarely seen among 17-year-old high school girls. The doctor automatically arranged her hospital stay to have an MRI scan, which was when they found the 4cm-long tumor on her brainstem.
The tumor was wrapped around the trigeminal, facial, auditory vestibulor, and oculomotor nerves, so if they made a wrong move during the surgery, it could have caused the girl to have a crooked mouth or eyes, or even put her in a coma or killed her. Fortunately, after six hours of surgery, the brain tumor was successfully removed and she has recovered from the surgery. On April 23, she and her parents went to thank Fang Wen-kui, the neurosurgeon who operated on her.
Photo: Wang Shan-yan, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者王善嬿
Wu says that the trigeminal nerve is responsible for sensation in the face, including the gums, and certain motor functions such as biting, chewing, and swallowing, so when it is touched by something a throbbing sensation is felt, which feels like a toothache and this requires immediate medical attention.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
嘉義一名十七歲女高中生發現下巴疼痛不已,還以為是牙痛前往牙科診所求診,但未發現牙齒有異狀。因陣痛持續一個月,所以轉到大醫院就診,才發現女學生長了四公分的腦瘤,在三月手術割除復原。醫師提醒,若出現異常疼痛,民眾應盡快就醫找原因。
嘉義基督教醫院神經內科醫師吳啟順指出,這名女學生出現類似三叉神經痛症狀,因為三叉神經痛主要好發在五十歲以上中老年人身上,十七歲高中生發生此症狀非常少見,於是連忙安排她住院做核磁共振檢查,赫然發現她的腦幹上長了一顆四公分大腦瘤。
Photo: Wang Shan-yan, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者王善嬿
由於該腦瘤與三叉、顏面、聽覺及動眼神經等顱神經纏繞一起,一不小心就可能導致嘴歪眼斜,甚至昏迷死亡,幸好經六個小時手術後,腦瘤順利切除復原,四月二十三日蔡姓女同學由父母陪同,向主刀的外科醫師方文貴致意感謝。
神經內科醫師吳啟順表示,三叉神經主管臉部感覺包括牙齦部位,動作功能如吞嚥、咀嚼或碰觸都會引發抽痛,因此疼痛感與牙痛很相似,需要鑑別診斷。
(自由時報記者王善嬿)
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