Inferior alveolar nerve blocks are commonly performed for dental anaesthesia. The procedure is generally safe with a low rate of complications. We report a patient with a reproducible, delayed-onset sensory deficit associated with contrast-enhancing lesions in the trigeminal nerve, pons and medulla following inferior alveolar nerve local anaesthesia. We propose that this previously undescribed condition is a form of Type IV hypersensitivity reaction.
Keywords: Delayed hypersensitivity; Inferior alveolar nerve; Local anesthesia; Magnetic resonance imaging; Trigeminal nerve; Trigeminal nuclei.
Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.