Trigeminal Neuralgia - Patient Information

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Definition

Trigeminal neuralgia, also called tic douloureux, is a condition that affects the trigeminal nerve (the 5th cranial nerve), one of the largest nerves in the head. The trigeminal nerve is responsible for sending impulses of touch, pain, pressure, and temperature to the brain from the face, jaw, gums, forehead, and around the eyes. Trigeminal neuralgia is characterized by a sudden, severe, electric shock-like or stabbing pain typically felt on one side of the jaw or cheek. The disorder is more common in women than in men and rarely affects anyone younger than 50. The attacks of pain, which generally last several seconds and may be repeated one after the other, may be triggered by talking, brushing teeth, touching the face, chewing, or swallowing. The attacks may come and go throughout the day and last for days, weeks, or months at a time, and then disappear for months or years.

Treatment

This procedure requires no incision. Using highly focused beams of radiation, a lesion (an area of controlled damage) is created in the root of the trigeminal nerve. The nerve isn't burned as in a laser treatment, but the radiation causes the slow formation of a lesion in the nerve over a period of time to interrupt the pain transmission.

All these procedures show varying degrees of immediate success and periods of long-term relief from pain. Generally, the average overall rate of success is 85% with about 25% of this group having some level of recurrence in 1-5 years. Many patients respond quite well when additional measures are pursued if the initial procedure is not successful or if the pain returns. There is no one procedure that is 100% effective in all cases.

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