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The Journal of Headache and Pain logoLink to The Journal of Headache and Pain
. 2010 Apr 13;11(4):355–357. doi: 10.1007/s10194-010-0212-5

Facial pain as first manifestation of anti-Hu paraneoplastic syndrome

Geneviève Demarquay 1,2,, Adrien Didelot 2, Véronique Rogemond 2, Philippe Ryvlin 3, Michel Gouttard 4, Paul Garassus 5, François Mauguière 3, Jérome Honnorat 2
PMCID: PMC3476344  PMID: 20387087

Abstract

The diagnosis of anti-Hu-associated encephalomyelitis/sensory neuropathy may be particularly difficult when cranial nerve involvement represents the first clinical manifestation of the disease. We report a case of a patient who presented with facial pain as the first manifestation of an anti-Hu paraneoplastic syndrome, which needs a rapid detection and treatment of the underlying tumour. We suggest that paraneoplastic neuropathy should be considered during the management of trigeminal neuropathic pain, especially when brain imagery is normal.

Keywords: Paraneoplastic syndrome, Trigeminal neuropathy, Anti-Hu, Cancer, Facial pain

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Conflict of interest

None.

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