What to do about trigeminal neuralgia
Disease description:
A friend of mine has recently been experiencing facial pain, which suddenly feels like the face is being torn apart, and it takes about a minute for the pain to gradually subside. After an examination, the doctor diagnosed it as trigeminal neuralgia. I would like to ask, what is the treatment for trigeminal neuralgia?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Huang Shichang
The main treatment methods for trigeminal neuralgia include the following:
1. **Medication**: The first-line treatment involves pain-relieving medications such as carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, and phenytoin sodium. These medications can significantly improve the patient's pain symptoms.
2. **Radiofrequency Treatment**: A radiofrequency needle is inserted percutaneously into the position of the trigeminal ganglion. The temperature of the needle tip is increased to 65°C–75°C, selectively destroying the unmyelinated Aδ and C fibers of the patient's semilunar ganglion, thereby blocking the conduction of pain signals.
3. **Microvascular Decompression Surgery**: For trigeminal neuralgia caused by vascular compression of the nerve, this surgical procedure separates the blood vessel from the nerve to relieve the compression and achieve therapeutic effects.
4. **Physical Therapy**: Treatments such as low-frequency pulsed current therapy and shortwave diathermy can promote local blood circulation, improve nerve nutrition, and help alleviate pain.
The specific method chosen should be determined based on the patient's individual condition and the doctor's recommendations.
