High cervical neurinoma (C1/C2) diagnosed falsely as multiple sclerosis because of trigeminal neuralgia

Summary Remitting paresis of the left leg accompanied by left trigeminal neuralgia led to the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in a 46-year-old woman.Over the following 6 years, an incomplete syndrome of the spinal cord developed along with bilateral trigeminal pain. Neuroradiological and neurosurgical exploration revealed a neurinoma located ventrolaterally at C1/C2 on the left side.It is emphasized that since trigeminal fibres descend as far as the upper part of the C2 segment, trigeminal neuralgia should not be considered as an exclusively supraspinal symptom.