Prognosis
In general, trigeminal nerve palsy usually has a good prognosis. If the nerve is narrowed, it can in most cases be surgically removed and the nerve regains full functionality. If the trigeminal nerve or its branches are injured, for example as a result of an accident, the prognosis depends very much on the degree of damage.
If the nerve is only bruised or only slightly injured, healing usually takes place within the next few months and no or very little loss of sensitivity or motor function remains. However, if the nerve is completely severed, the healing process can take much longer. One can try to stitch the nerve endings together by surgical procedures, which generally has very good results. Only in rare cases does the paresis of the trigeminal nerve persist permanently.
Differences to trigeminal neuralgia
There are great differences between paresis of the trigeminal nerve, i.e. paralysis, and trigeminal neuralgia, i.e. nerve pain, in terms of cause and symptoms. Paresis of the nerve is usually associated with loss of function in the facial region.
Sensitivity disorders can occur and the movement of the chewing muscles can be severely or completely restricted. The exact symptoms depend on the underlying cause and its localization. In trigeminal neuralgia, the main symptom from which patients suffer is severe nerve pain, which is considered one of the most severe pains a person can have.
They are often stabbing and occur suddenly. It is possible that an entrapment or inflammation of the nerve initially leads to trigeminal neuralgia, which without treatment can lead to trigeminal paresis. In both cases, an attempt is first made to treat the cause of the disease with medication. If there is no improvement, there are good surgical methods available, which have a good to very good healing rate.