Trigemino-Cardiac Reflex: A Phenomenon Neglected in Maxillofacial Surgery?

Chronic Trigemino-Cardiac Reflex: An Underestimated Truth

The trigemino-cardiac reflex (TCR) is a brainstem reflex that manifests as adverse cardiorespiratory events upon the stimulation of sensory branches of the fifth cranial nerve. This reflex is mainly investigated in different neurosurgical procedures and intervention. This reflex is commonly considered as an acute and mild physiological response. On the other hand, more devastating and chronic n...

Topical lidocaine to suppress trigemino-cardiac reflex.

Sleep Disorders: Is the Trigemino-Cardiac Reflex a Missing Link?

Trigeminal innervated areas in face, nasolacrimal, and nasal mucosa can produce a wide array of cardiorespiratory manifestations that include apnea, bradypnea, bradycardia, hypotension, and arrhythmias. This reflex is a well-known entity called "trigemino-cardiac reflex" (TCR). The role of TCR is investigated in various pathophysiological conditions especially in neurosurgical, but also skull b...

The trigemino-cardiac reflex: a view to the future

After the trigemino-cardiac reflex (TCR) was first described by the senior author in 1999 [1], it resolved one of the great problems and mysteries in neurosurgery. In the meantime, several other groups have published their results about the TCR, but there still remain a lot of questions about this reflex that are currently unresolved. Our group has recently published an important update of the ...

Usefulness of case reports to improve medical knowledge regarding trigemino-cardiac reflex in skull base surgery

We describe the discovery of the trigemino-cardiac reflex by Schaller in 1999 and the continued improvement of the knowledge about the trigemino-cardiac reflex involved in neurosurgery, especially in skull base surgery, during the past several years. The achieved medical progress could be gained only by the practical experience described by different case reports and later case series that have...