Home > What We Treat > Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal Neuralgia - Physician Information
Information for Patients
Research Support
Trigeminal neuralgia patients we see at Gamma Knife of Spokane fit within
the typical patient profile of most research institutions' experience:
- Patient is frequently over age 55
- Symptomatic for 2-10 years
- Sought pharmacological intervention that, in most cases, alleviated
most of the pain, but left the patient incapable of performing at
optimal cognitive levels
- Many sought surgical intervention that did not fully reduce pain
- Patients' quality of life significantly reduced as they managed
their daily activities around when they took their pain meds
While surgical intervention is effective, in many cases Gamma Knife
treatment is more effective and certainly contributes to better quality of
life. Patients often are treated in less than three hours and return home by
early afternoon.
Most frequently caused by proximity of a vessel to the fifth nerve,
trigeminal neuralgia pain can be alleviated surgically by reducing the
contact of this vessel as shown below:
 |
 |
| The black arrow indicates the trigeminal nerve. The blue arrows indicate
the irritating vessel. The green arrow points to the Teflon sponge inserted
to separate the nerve from the offending vessel. |
Although effective, surgical intervention is not always indicated in
elderly patients.
Gamma Knife surgery is used to place a dose of radiation at the root
entry zone of the fifth nerve using a 4mm collimator.
The ensuing lesion blocks the transmission of the pain and does so with a
latency period of days to several months1, depending on the patient's
response to the dose.
Efficacy of gamma knife treatment in reducing the patient's dependency on
pain medication is promising. Our experience closely matches that of the
studies2, with 80-85% of patients being pain free within 3-4 months post
procedure.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Trigeminal Neuralgia
If the pain returns, can another Gamma Knife surgery be done?
Re-treatment is also very effective3 for patients who have recurring pain
after initial gamma knife surgery.
Should Gamma Knife be used before surgical intervention?
Patients who receive gamma knife treatment before any other invasive
intervention often have better outcomes4.
References
1. Neurology 1997 Mar;48(3):608-14
2. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2000 Jul 1;47(4):1013-9
3. J Neurosurg 2000 Dec;93 Suppl 3:162-4
4. J Neurosurg 2000 Dec;93 Suppl 3:159-61
Research Support |
