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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

To the Editor: Tongue piercing is an increasingly common form of self-expression. Reported important complications of tongue piercing include endocarditis,¹ tetanus,² and brain abscess.³ We describe a patient with trigeminal neuralgia that developed after a tongue piercing and that resolved shortly after its removal.

Report of a Case

An 18-year-old woman presented with a 2-month history of neuropathic facial pain described as severe, constant, and paroxysmal. This had started 1 month after a piercing of her tongue and insertion of a bispherical metal stud. A typical episode began with right-sided paroxysmal pain in the maxillary (V2) and mandibular (V3) region, followed by hypoesthesia 30 seconds later. The episodes were described as "electrical shocks," lasted from 10 to 30 seconds, and recurred 20 to 30 times each day, increasing in frequency and severity during the latter weeks. Episodes rarely occurred when she was chewing or talking and did not awaken her at night.

On examination, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Roberto Gazzeri, MD; Sandro Mercuri, MD
Department of Neurosurgery
Azienda Ospedaliera San Giovanni-Addolorata
Rome, Italy

Marcelo Galarza, MD
galarza.marcelo@gmail.com
Division of Neurosurgery
Villa Maria Cecilia Hospital
Ravenna, Italy

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