David A. Sirois, D.M.D., Ph.D. - The importance of getting the right diagnosis
	Michael E. Foster, D.D.S. - A dentist role in diagnosis
	Craig DuBois, M.D. - Trigeminal neuralgia vs. trigeminal neuropathic pain
	John Zuniga, D.M.D., Ph.D. - Etiology of trigeminal neuralgia vs. neuropathic pain patient
	Jason Sheehan, M.D., Ph.D. - Is the trigeminal neuralgia diagnosis always right?
	Jeffrey A. Brown, M.D. - What does burning pain mean?
	David A. Sirois, D.M.D., Ph.D. - Continuous burning sensations in the mouth
	Wayne Martin, LCSW, BCIAC - Wayne's misdiagnosis
	Carlos L. Perez, M.D. - Role of the MRI
	Carlos L. Perez, M.D. - Are all MRI scanners the same?
	Carlos L. Perez, M.D. - Preparing for a MRI
	Carlos L. Perez, M.D. - Claustrophobic & needing a MRI?
	Carlos L. Perez, M.D. - Imaging options for those with a pacemaker, hip replacement, or back rod
	Mark E. Linskey, M.D. - Should trigeminal neuralgia patients get neuroimaging? A neurosurgeon's perspective
	Carlos L. Perez, M.D. - UT Southwestern trigeminal neuralgia protocol

Facial Pain Diagnosis

A facial pain diagnosis is primarily based on a patient description of the problem.  It is imperative the patient give the health care provider a detailed but concise description of the pain including location, length of pain, events that trigger pain, things that reduce the pain, and include terms such as: intermittent, electric shock, stabbing, constant, aching, burning, shooting, numbness, tingling, stabbing, and throbbing.  Other tests including imaging may help rule out or confirm the diagnosis.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) are usually done for complaints of facial pain. They are useful in ruling out tumor, multiple sclerosis, stroke or blood vessel abnormalities. However, compression of the trigeminal nerve by a blood vessel may or may not visualize, so these are not considered diagnostic tests for trigeminal neuralgia by most practitioners.

Facial Pain:  Classification
http://www.ohsu.edu/health/health-topics/topic.cfm?id=13919

Symptom: Facial Pain
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/facial_pain.htm

Differential diagnosis of facial pain
http://www.actaneurologica.be/acta/download/2001-1/01-schoenen.pdf

Headache and chronic facial pain
http://ceaccp.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/extract/8/4/138

The International Classification of Headache Disorders
http://216.25.100.131/ihscommon/guidelines/pdfs/ihc_II_main_no_print.pdf

Other Disorders
http://www.umanitoba.ca/cranial_nerves/other/index.html

Organizations - None