Abstract: Objective To explore the clinical features and therapeutic strategies of neuralgia after subfrontal craniotomy.Methods 132 neurosurgical patients undergoing selective subfrontal craniotomy without the pain of the incision of scalp were involved. The onset, severity, and characters of the neuralgia were recorded. The therapeutic effects of medicine and nerve block on neuralgia were observed.Results Supraorbital neuralgia (9.8%) and superficial temporal neuralgia (3%) occurred 3～4 days and aggravated 4～7 days after subfrontal craniotomy. The headache could be persistent and become more serious intermittently and irradiated to frontal, parietal, temperal, and para-orbital region. Physical examination revealed homolateral tenderness of supraorbital notch and para-arteria temporalis superficialis. Severity of headache improved dramatically after nerve block therapy.Conclusion It is important to identify whether supraorbital neuralgia and superficial temporal neuralgia are onset after subfrontal craniotomy. Nerve block therapy gets excellent clinical result in treating post-craniotomy neuralgia.

Key words: neuralgia, nerve block, craniotomy