Journal of Pain & Relief
Open Access

Review Article

The Surgical Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Sergio Zeme^*

Department of Neurosciences, Neurosurgical Treatment of Pain and Spasticity Unit, University of Turin, Pain Theray and Palliative Care Division, Italy

*Corresponding Author:

Sergio Zeme
Department of Neurosciences, Neurosurgical Treatment of Pain and Spasticity Unit
University of Turin, Pain Therapy and Palliative Care Division, ”Rita Levi Montalcini”-Molinette Hospital
AOU “Città della Salute e della Scienza”, Via Cherasco, Torino, 15-10126, Italy
Tel: +39-11677078
Email: sergio.zeme@unito.it

Received date: August 10, 2016; Accepted date: August 16, 2016; Published date: August 19, 2016

Citation: Zeme S (2016) The Surgical Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia. J Pain Relief S4:006. doi:10.4172/2167-0846.S4-006

Copyright: © 2016 Zeme S. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a clinical presentation of different diseases, defined in the last edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) as “Classical Trigeminal Neuralgia” and “Painful Trigeminal Neuropathy”. In both groups typical and atypical clinical findings are present. They must be taking into consideration for defining a correct clinical diagnosis. In addition MRI findings and other objective signs allow to disclose the Etiology of the Trigeminal Neuralgia. The surgical treatment offers many options: open surgery in posterior fossa, neuroablative procedures on the trigeminal nerve, neuromodulation techniques on the trigeminal pathways. Open surgery and neuroablative procedures are the treatments chosen in Classical Trigeminal Neuralgia and in Painful Trigeminal Neuropathy showing pure or prevalent typical clinical findings. Instead in Painful Trigeminal Neuropathy with pure or prevalent atypical clinical findings the neuromodulation techniques are the treatments to be chosen. Looking at the Literature reports and at our own experience, techniques, results, and indications of microvascular decompression, radiofrequency thermocoagulation, glycerol rhizolysis, balloon microcompression, and sterotactic radiosurgery of the trigeminal root are reported and discussed

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