Abstract
Although postherpetic neuralgia and trigeminal neuralgia (tic douloureux) are common causes of facial pain, they have very little in common aside from lancinating pain (other qualities of pain in each disorder are different). Each disorder affects different areas of the face and the treatment of each is quite dissimilar. The pathogenesis of these two disorders quite likely involves different mechanisms. This report reviews aspects of these two difficult pain problems, particularly with reference to the work of the late Gerhard Fromm, to whom this is dedicated.