Computed tomography-guided percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation for primary trigeminal neuralgia in older and younger patients

We evaluated the immediate and long-term clinical efficacy of computed tomography （CT）-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation for primary trigeminal neuralgia （RTPTN） in 852 patients including 502 patients aged -〉 60 years and 350 patients aged 〈 60 years. After discharge, the incidence of complications was 1.0% and 0.9% in patients aged 〉 60 years and patients aged 〈 60 years, respectively. Over 3-year follow-up after CT-guided RTPTN, 96.8% of the patients aged 〉 60 years and 98.6% of the patients aged 〈 60 years were completely pain-free, and there was no significant difference between these two age brackets. In addition, there were no significant differences in quality of life scores and numbness scores between these two age brackets. These findings suggest that CT-guided RTPTN is a safe and effective method and is recommended for older and poor-risk patients.

Effect of percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation on different neuropathic pains

BACKGROUND: The clinical treatment of neuropathic pain is very troublesome, and the physical method of radiofrequency thermocoagulation is a good choice for its treatment. OBJECTIVE: To observe the curative effect of percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation on neuropathic neuralgia. DESIGN: A case follow-up analysis. SETTING: Minimally Invasive Surgery Room, Department of Neurosurgery, Urumqi General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Area Command of Chinese PLA. PARTICIPANTS: Totally 131 patients were selected from the Department of Neurosurgery, Urumqi General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Area Command of Chinese PLA from December 2000 to June 2006, including 73 males and 58 females, aging 37-72 years old, AND the disease course was 2-15 years. ① Drug treatment failed to alleviate the pain or induced obvious side effects; ② With the same pathological changes as pain and effective in the nerve block test; Had signed the informed consents before treatment. Distribution of the neuropathic pain: ① Trigeminal neuralgia, which were lighting attack, located at V2 in 28 cases, V3 in 46 cases, V1+V2 in 3 cases, V2+V3 in 28 cases, and V1+V2+V3 in 1 case; ② Migraine located at (except the frontal branch of trigeminal nerve) greater and lesser occipital nerves in 6 cases, auriculotemporal nerve in 3 cases, temporal and zygomatic nerves in 3 cases; ③ Unilateral neuralgia of C2 and C3 following herpes zoster in 1 case, and chest intercostals neuralgia in 2 cases; ④ Lasting burning pain in the operative area after thoracotomy was in 1 case of lung cancer. METHODS: ① All the enrolled patients were treated with percutaneous puncture at trigeminal ganglion or peripheral nerve, then nerve block was performed firstly for anesthesia, and the pain disappeared immediately at this moment, there was hypoesthesia or numbness in the area of innervation, which manifested the puncture apposition was correct, then electrostimulation of 50 Hz with the current of 0.1-0.5 V was given for further functional localization. ② The RFG-3C radiofrequency therapeutic instrument (Radionics, USA) was used, the tip of the radiofrequency electrode was exposed for 5 mm, the temperature was kept at 80-85 ℃, 30-60 for each time, and treated for 3 or 4 times. The neuralgia following herpes zoster could also be treated by thermocoagulation at several points. ③ Evaluation standards for the therapeutic efficacy: Excellent meant the pain disappeared completely without taking any anodyne. Good referred to the pain was alleviated as compared with the preoperative one, and it could be effectively controlled by anodyne at relapse, but radiofrequency therapy was unnecessary. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Therapeutic efficacy of neuropathic neuralgia of different types after treatment of percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation. RESULTS: All the 131 patients were involved in the final analysis of results, no one missed. ① Therapeutic efficacy: In the 24-month follow-up, the therapeutic efficacy was excellent in 106 cases (80.9%), good in 21 cases (16.0 %) and had no change in 4 cases (3.1%). For 13 of the patients with trigeminal neuralgia, the pain relapsed after the lesion of peripheral branches, and it disappeared after the second treatment. The treatment was invalid for 1 patient with lung cancer suffering from pain in the operative area after thoracotomy, and the pain was alleviated by spinal cord stimulation. The pain disappeared after treated for 3 times in the patients with cervical neuralgia following herpes zoster. ② The pain relapsed in 28 cases (21.4%) at 12 months of the follow-up. ③ Adverse events and side effects: Except the hypoesthesia of different severity at the site of pain, there was no other complication after treatment. CONCLUSION:The follow-up results showed that percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation is one of the effective methods for treating neuropathic neuralgias of various types.

Quantitative assessment of sensory functions after 3 surgical approaches for trigeminal neuralgia by current perception threshold measurement

Objective： To quantitatively identify and grade trigeminal sensory functions after 3 major surgical procedures of trigeminal neuralgia using a newly developed quantitative sensory testing technique, current perception threshold measurement （CPTM）. Methods： In the current study, there were 48 trigeminal neuralgia patients without history of prior surgical treatment. These patients received one of the following 3 surgical procedures, microvascular decompression （MVD）, peripheral nerve block with alcohol （PNB）, or percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation （PRFT）. The quantitative sensory testing measurement, CPTM, and conventional qualitative sensory testing measurements were performed preoperatively and postoperatively to evaluate and grade the trigeminal sensory functions All 3 major cutaneous sensory fiber types, large myelinated fibers （A beta）, small myelinated fibers （A delta） and unmyelinated fibers（C） were allowed to quantitatively evaluate and grade by CPTM. The results of the measurements were statistically analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance （single factor）. Each subject was his/her own control for comparison of the preoperative to postoperative state on the asymptomatic and symptomatic sides. Subjects were tested 48 h preoperatively and 4 weeks postoperatively. Results： PNB with alcohol and PRFT caused significant sensory dysfunction postoperatively in every fiber type, indicating damage to all fibers. On the contrary, the sensory function in all 3 fiber types was unchanged after MVD management. Conclusion： Among the 3 major surgical procedures tested, only MVD preserves sensory function in trigeminal system. CPTM is of quantitative nature on the evaluation of sensory functions of nerve fibers