Description:
This procedure is used to treat trigeminal neuralgia.
Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition characterised by sudden bursts (paroxysms) of facial pain. These may be triggered by touch; talking; eating, or brushing teeth. The pain occurs in the areas supplied by the trigeminal nerve: the cheeks, jaw, teeth, gums, lips and, less often, around the eye or forehead. Trigeminal neuralgia is rare; the mean annual incidence is 4 per 100 000 population.
Some people with mild symptoms recover without treatment. For most people paroxysmal bursts of severe pain continue indefinitely.
The first line treatment for trigeminal neuralgia is medication. Surgery is considered for people who experience severe pain despite medication, or who have side effects from medication.
Gamma knife radiosurgery involves aiming a focused beam of radiation at the trigeminal nerve to destroy it at the point where it leaves the brain. It does not require skin incision or needle insertion. General anaesthesia is not required.
Other treatments for severe trigeminal neuralgia include: glycerol injection, which involves inserting a needle into the nerve under X ray guidance; radiofrequency radiosurgery, which involves applying short bursts of radiofrequency to the nerve through a needle; balloon microcompression, which involves inflating a balloon near the nerve. All of these are minimally invasive surgical procedures. Microvascular decompression is a more invasive procedure involving opening the skull.
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