A Fascinating Case of Trigeminal Neuralgia with an Absent Meckel Cave in a Young Woman

The absence of Meckel’s cave is an uncommon finding. All published instances note a correlation of ipsilateral symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia. In this report, we present the case of a 31-year-old woman with a history of right-sided trigeminal neuralgia found to have an absent right Meckel‘s cave. Our patient exhibited inconsistent responses to conventional pharmacological treatments for trigeminal neuralgia. In cases in which medication proves ineffective and there is the concurrent absence of Meckel’s cave, surgical interventions may warrant careful consideration. Further elaboration is provided on the imaging findings, the spectrum of differential diagnosis, available treatment options, and an analysis of previously documented cases of absent Meckel’s cave.