Cerebellopontine Angle (CPA) Tumors Presenting with Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN): A Study from LRH, Peshawar

Background/Objective:  The cerebellopontine angle (CPA) is the most prevalent site for brain tumors, accounting for 10% of all cases. CPA tumors can have a direct or indirect pathogenic impact on the auditory nerve and brain stem. The study aimed to quantify the prevalence of cerebellopontine angle tumors in patients with trigeminal neuralgia. Material and Methods:  A cross sections study was conducted and 100 patients were included from the Neurosurgery department of LRH, Peshawar. Magnetic resonance images (MRI) were used to look for CPA tumors. The data on CPA tumors were stratified for age and gender. Suboccipital retromastoid craniectomy was performed. Results:  The mean age of the patients was 43 years. 38 patients were male and 62 were female. CPA tumors were seen in three percent of trigeminal neuralgia patients. There existed a significant difference (p < 0.00001) between the presence and absence of CPA tumors. A maximum number of patients (n = 37) were not having CPA tumors from the age group of 51-60 years. An insignificant association was reported for CPA distribution concerning age and gender. Conclusion:  According to our findings, 3% of trigeminal neuralgia patients had cerebellopontine angle tumors. We urge more investigation and screening of trigeminal neuralgia patients for CPA tumors based on the findings of this study.