Rosemary's story
Trigeminal schwannoma, craniotomy
Surgery produces ‘fantastic’ result for Rosemary after scan shows a tumor on her trigeminal nerve
When Rosemary first went to her doctor about pain and numbness in her face, they didn’t immediately suspect a tumor near her brain.
The team tried to identify the source of the pain by eliminating one option at a time. Rosemary took allergy medicine. She saw an eye surgeon about her blurred vision, then a specialist to look for a sinus infection.
“I just could not get rid of the pain in my face,” she says now. “It was rough.”
Then Rosemary’s doctor ordered a magnetic imaging resonance (MRI) scan. Rosemary was referred to neurosurgeon Dr. Yair Gozal, a brain tumor specialist at Mayfield Brain & Spine. Within a few minutes of talking to Rosemary, Dr. Gozal recognized that these weren’t normal headaches. Instead, it was severe facial pain linked to the trigeminal nerve, which runs from the brainstem and supplies sensation to the face.
Rosemary's scan showing a tumor growing from the protective sheath around the trigeminal nerve and an illustration of trigeminal nerve anatomy
On Rosemary’s scans, they found the answer: a tumor that had grown from the protective sheath around the trigeminal nerve and had enlarged to more than 3 centimeters. Called a trigeminal schwannoma, the tumor was putting pressure on the branch of the trigeminal nerve that leads to the section of the face including her temple and forehead.
Rosemary's scan after surgery
“Rosemary thought she was having headaches, but it became clear that this was facial pain caused by compression of the trigeminal nerve,” Dr. Gozal says. Because of the size of the tumor and the severity of her symptoms, he recommended surgery to remove it.
“I was just happy to know what it was,” Rosemary says. “If it needs to come out, we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do. I wasn’t scared.”
The trigeminal nerve controls sensation to the face, so any pressure on the nerve can create a variety of symptoms. After it emerges from the brainstem, the nerve branches into several locations of the face.
In Rosemary’s case, the tumor was putting pressure on one branch of the nerve. Because of the location of the facial pain, above the right ear and behind the right eye, the medical team was able to identify the exact branch of the nerve that was under pressure.
Rosemary says she was impressed that Dr. Gozal took the time to fully explain her symptoms. He was recommending an open brain surgery called a craniotomy to remove the tumor, starting with an incision along the right side at the top of Rosemary’s forehead.
“What I liked was that Dr. Gozal sat us down and we looked at the scans together,” she says. “I didn’t feel rushed by anybody. He answered all of my questions. I felt Dr. Gozal’s sincerity and his passion for what he does.”
Today, Rosemary is glad she underwent the operation.
“I haven’t had this pain in my face since,” she says. “You usually don’t say that surgery was fantastic, but my experience was fantastic,” she says. “I’m a lot better off after having surgery.”
~ Cliff Peale
Hope Story Disclaimer -"Rosemary's Story" is about one patient's health-care experience. Please bear in mind that because every patient is unique, individual patients may respond to treatment in different ways. Results are influenced by many factors and may vary from patient to patient.
Click here to call 513-221-1100