What is a trigeminal ganglion?
trigeminal ganglion is the weight of the bodies of nerve cells that are part of the trigeminal nerve. This is also called Gasserian Ganglion, Semilunar Ganglion or Gasser Ganglion. It is located in the cavity called Meckel's cave on temporary bones in the area between the eye socket and the ear. Trigeminal ganglion is a sensory nerve ganglion and contains cellular bodies of incoming sensory fibers. This means that it is responsible for processing the sensory aspects of the trigeminal nerve, as in the feelings of touch or pressure. The trigeminal nerve in terms of its sensory functions is responsible for the feelings of touch on the side of the face. It also has motor nerve fibers, nerve fibers that are responsible for movement - in this case chewing, biting and swallowing - but these fibers only pass through a trigeminal ganglion. The bodies of motor cells of the trigeminal nerve are located in the core of another nerve and the fibers converge there.
The trigeminal ganglion function is to act as a relay between the external stimulation of the trigeminal nerve and the central nervous system. The sensory fibers of trigeminal nerves pass into trigeminal ganglions, which in turn pass nerve pulses through the only large sensory root that enters the brain stem. This is a very basic description because the nervous path is a complex process.
The most remarkable function of the trigeminal ganglion, clinically, is that it is used in a procedure known as Gasserian Ganglion nerve block or simply Gasserian block. This procedure is performed when trigeminal neuralgia, a state where the trigeminal nerve is inflamed and causes pain, does not respond to oral medicines or surgery. Gasserian Block consists of a small amount of local anesthetic, sometimes with a steroid that is injected into a trigeminal ganglion. This blocks sensory input and hopefully provides relief from extreme pain that trigeminal neuralgia can cause.
trigeminal ganglion can also be damaged by infection or surgery, a condition known as trigeminal trophic syndrome. This syndrome can cause numbness or burning sensation and may lead to damage over time. Viruses may also persist in the trigeminal ganglion even after the initial infection is deleted, as in the case of herpes infection, and may lie over time until it is re -activated.