Multimodality Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia: An Institutional Experience.

Abstract

Object  Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) consists of excruciating paroxysmal pain, which lasts for seconds to minutes, in the distribution of fifth cranial nerve. TN is not life-threatening, but life became miserable because of high intensity of pain. This study aimed to assess the overall success rates of different treatments, considering pain relief, recurrence rates, and potential side effects. Material and Methods  A total of 203 patients of TN treated in the period of last 10 years, that is, 2013 to 2022, were included. Medial management was in 103, radiofrequency ablation in 17, neurectomy in 9, tumor excision in 6, and microvascular decompression (MVD) was done in 68 patients. Magnetic resonance imaging brain with fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition was the basic investigation to decide the etiology of disease. Results  Preliminary findings from our institutional experience indicate that a multidisciplinary approach, combining medical, surgical, and noninvasive treatments, yielded the most favorable results in managing TN. The majority of patients achieved significant pain reduction and improved quality of life with these selected therapies. However, certain subgroups of patients exhibited a higher propensity for treatment resistance, necessitating further investigation into personalized treatment strategies. Conclusion  Our study concludes that there is no definitive treatment modality (either medical or surgical) available for patients with TN. As the etiology of TN is varied, management of TN also varied, that is, multidisciplinary approach. Every type of treatment has pros and cons but when the cause of TN is vascular compression and patient's general condition permits for surgery, in such cases MVD should be preferred over the ablative procedures.