Isolated Trigeminal Neuropathy: An Unusual Complication of Carcinoma of the Lung

The occurrence of isolated metastasis to the trigeminal nerve or ganglion from a distant, solid tumor is rare. This communication describes a patient with carcinoma of the lung; an isolated trigeminal neuropathy developed and at autopsy proved to be secondary to metastasis to the trigeminal ganglion. The appearance of a trigeminal neuropathy in a patient with an active solid tumor elsewhere in the body is most likely due to metastasis.(JAMA 237:2522-2523, 1977)