DESCRIPTION OF TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA

Disclaimer

The following short introduction has been written by R. Wayne Hurt, M.D., F.A.C.S. for Trigeminal Neuralgia Resources.

"It is widely recognized in medicine that Trigeminal Neuralgia is one of the most painful conditions known. Fortunately, it is a condition that can often be treated successfully to gain pain relief. In most affected individuals the pain grows progressively more severe in time, but many experience remissions that can sometimes last for weeks or months only to have the pain return to its usual or even greater intensity. Sadly, a number of inadequate treatment methods are advocated by some who mistakenly believe that an unproven treatment (e.g. some medications, potions, manipulations, diet, etc.) relieved their pain when, in fact, they simply entered into a natural period of remission. Knowledgeable medical experts have recognized this problem for at least two centuries.

"Assuming that the diagnosis of Trigeminal Neuralgia is correct, leaders in the field of Trigeminal Neuralgia treatment will usually recommend medical treatment with Dilantin and/or Tegretol, because rarely do other medications prove effective on a sustained basis. If Dilantin and/or Tegretol are ineffective, or, as is most often the case, gradually lose their effectiveness and/or cause unacceptable side effects, then the individual with Trigeminal Neuralgia should investigate the currently effective methods of surgical treatment in thorough discussion with his or her physician, usually a neurologist or a neurosurgeon, familiar with accepted treatment for this condition.

"Of the current surgical treatment methods available one should learn about the benefits and risks of each method in order to make an informed decision. Recognizing that there is some debate among neurosurgeons based on their individual training and experience, I have concluded after treating several hundred patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia over the past twenty years and after studying the world literature, that for most individuals with Trigeminal Neuralgia who have become refractory to medical treatment, the procedure known commonly as radiofrequency trigeminal rhizotomy is in most cases preferred over alternative surgical methods such as peripheral trigeminal nerve section or alcohol ablation, craniotomy with open rhizotomy and/or microvascular depression, glycerol injection, percutaneous balloon compression, and radiation (Gamma Knife).

"For the many sufferers of Trigeminal Neuralgia who are seeking help, it must be emphasized that careful discussion with their physician/specialist about the effective forms of medical and surgical treatment for this condition is of the utmost importance and should ultimately lead to satisfactory pain relief for the over-whelming majority of those so afflicted. "