Mastication Muscle Suppression by the Mandibular Branch of Trigeminal Nerve Catheter-Based, Ultrasound-Guided Block: A Case Report

Ultrasound-guided nerve blocks have enhanced our abilities to selectively and effectively suppress certain nerves to accomplish specific goals, including blockade a localized seizure muscle movement without affecting the seizure threshold or level of the consciousness.

This is a case report of the blockade of the movement of a chewing muscle by the continuous (catheter-based) mandibular nerve block in a 27 years old man with high-frequency partial seizures in facial muscles who was a candidate for seizure focus ablation. An out-of-plane approach was used to insert a catheter near the mandibular nerve to provide intermittent or continuous peripheral nerve block. This report demonstrated that a continuous block of the mandibular nerve could effectively facilitate the seizure focus mapping and ablation.

We can selectively suppress the contractures of a certain muscle in partial seizures by a continuous block of the responsible nerve. This blockade can facilitate seizure focus mapping and ablation.