Quantitative and qualitative assessment of sensory changes induced by local anesthetics block of two different trigeminal nerve branches

Abstract

Objectives

The aims were to use different techniques to assess the degree of sensory changes and magnitude of perceived size changes in the facial region induced by nerve blocks of two different trigeminal nerve branches in healthy participants.

Materials and methods

This placebo-controlled study included 30 healthy volunteers. The participants underwent quantitative and qualitative sensory testing (QST and QualST) thrice: before, 10 min, and 2 h after mental (n = 15) and infraorbital (n = 15) nerve blocks and during control (saline) sessions. Perceived numbness, temperature changes, and perceptual distortion were also measured at all time points during the nerve block and control sessions. Differences in outcome parameters between the sessions and time points were analyzed using analyses of variance and McNemar's tests.

Results

There was a significant degree of sensory loss to most QST and all QualST parameters, with significant numbness and increased perceived size at the injection site 10 min and 2 h after the nerve blocks compared with saline (P < 0.030) and the baseline (P < 0.042). Two hours after the nerve blocks, the sensitivity was significantly closer to baseline than after 10 min to most of the QST parameters (P < 0.011).

Conclusions

QST and QualST revealed that the nerve blocks in the orofacial region resulted in complete or partial blockade of afferent nerve fibers mediating thermal and mechanical function for more than 2 h with significant numbness and perceptual distortion.

Clinical relevance

Both QST and QualST can provide information on the degree of blockade of afferent nerve fibers after nerve blocks in the orofacial region.

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