scholarly journals Long-Term Results after Glycerol Rhizotomy for Multiple Sclerosis-Related Trigeminal Neuralgia

Author(s):  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
L. Dade Lunsford ◽  
David J. Bissonette

Abstract:Percutaneous retrogasserian glycerol rhizotomy (PRGR) was used during an 11-year interval in 53 patients with typical trigeminal neuralgia associated with multiple sclerosis. All patients had failed extensive medical trials prior to PRGR. Long-term (median follow-up, 36 months) complete pain relief (no further medication) was achieved in 29 (59%) of 49 evaluable patients. Eight patients (16%) had satisfactory pain control but required occasional medication. Twelve patients (25%) had initial unsatisfactory results with inadequate pain relief; nine underwent alternative surgical procedures. Sixteen patients (30%) subsequently required repeat glycerol rhizotomies to reachieve pain control. Twenty-seven patients (60% of 45 patients evaluated for this finding) retained normal trigeminal sensation after injection. Major trigeminal sensory loss developed in a single patient who had four glycerol rhizotomies over a 25-month interval. No patient developed deafferentation pain. We believe that PRGR is a low-morbidity, effective, and repeatable surgical procedure for the management of trigeminal neuralgia in the setting of multiple sclerosis.

2012 ◽  
Vol 117 (Special_Suppl) ◽  
pp. 175-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Mathieu ◽  
Khaled Effendi ◽  
Jocelyn Blanchard ◽  
Mario Séguin

Object Among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) there is a high incidence of trigeminal neuralgia (TN), and outcomes after treatment seem inferior to those in patients suffering from idiopathic TN. The goal of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes in patients with MS-related TN after Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) and compare them with those obtained using percutaneous retrogasserian glycerol rhizotomy (PRGR). Methods The authors retrospectively reviewed the charts of 45 patients with MS-related TN. The first procedure undertaken was GKS in 27 patients and PRGR in 18 patients. Pain had been present for a median of 60 months (range 12–276 months) in patients who underwent GKS and 48 months (range 12–240 months) in patients who underwent PRGR. The following outcome measures were assessed in both groups of patients: pain relief (using the Barrow Neurological Institute [BNI] Pain Scale), procedure-related morbidity, time to pain relief and recurrence, and subsequent procedures that were performed. Results The median duration of follow-up was 39 months (range 13–69 months) in the GKS group and 38 months (range 2–75 months) in the PRGR group. Reasonable pain control (BNI Pain Scale Scores I–IIIb) was noted in 22 patients (81.5%) who underwent GKS and in 18 patients (100%) who underwent PRGR. For patients who underwent GKS, the median time to pain relief was 6 months; for those who underwent PRGR, pain relief was immediate. In the GKS group12 patients required subsequent procedures (3 patients for absence of response and 9 patients for pain recurrence), whereas in the PRGR group 6 patients required subsequent procedures (all for pain recurrence). As of the last follow-up, complete or reasonable pain control was finally achieved in 23 patients (85.2%) in the GKS group and in 16 patients (88.9%) in the PRGR group. The morbidity rate was 22.2% in the GKS group (all due to sensory loss and paresthesia) and 66.7% in the PRGR group (mostly hypalgesia, with 2 patients having corneal reflex loss and 1 patient suffering from meningitis). Conclusions Both GKS and PRGR are satisfactory strategies for treating MS-related TN. Gamma Knife surgery has a lower rate of sensory and overall morbidity than PRGR, but requires a delay before pain relief occurs. The authors propose that patients with extreme pain in need of fast relief should undergo PRGR. For other patients, both management strategies can lead to satisfactory pain relief, and the choice should be made based on patient preference and expectations.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 1637-1645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideyuki Kano ◽  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
Huai-Che Yang ◽  
Oscar Zorro ◽  
Javier Lobato-Polo ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) that recurs after surgery can be difficult to manage. OBJECTIVE: To define management outcomes in patients who underwent gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GKSR) after failing 1 or more previous surgical procedures. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed outcomes after GKSR in 193 patients with TN after failed surgery. The median patient age was 70 years (range, 26-93 years). Seventy-five patients had a single operation (microvascular decompression, n = 40; glycerol rhizotomy, n = 24; radiofrequency rhizotomy, n = 11). One hundred eighteen patients underwent multiple operations before GKSR. Patients were evaluated up to 14 years after GKSR. RESULTS: After GKSR, 85% of patients achieved pain relief or improvement (Barrow Neurological Institute grade I-IIIb). Pain recurrence was observed in 73 of 168 patients 6 to 144 months after GKSR (median, 6 years). Factors associated with better long-term pain relief included no relief from the surgical procedure preceding GKSR, pain in a single branch, typical TN, and a single previous failed surgical procedure. Eighteen patients (9.3%) developed new or increased trigeminal sensory dysfunction, and 1 developed deafferentation pain. Patients who developed sensory loss after GKSR had better long-term pain control (Barrow Neurological Institute grade I-IIIb: 86% at 5 years). CONCLUSION: GKSR proved to be safe and moderately effective in the management of TN that recurs after surgery. Development of sensory loss may predict better long-term pain control. The best candidates for GKSR were patients with recurrence after a single failed previous operation and those with typical TN in a single trigeminal nerve distribution.


2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 527-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Tyler-Kabara ◽  
Amin B. Kassam ◽  
Michael H. Horowitz ◽  
Louise Urgo ◽  
Constantinos Hadjipanayis ◽  
...  

Object. Microvascular decompression (MVD) has become one of the primary treatments for typical trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Not all patients with facial pain, however, suffer from the typical form of this disease; many patients who present for surgical intervention actually have atypical TN. The authors compare the results of MVD performed for typical and atypical TN at their institution. Methods. The results of 2675 MVDs in 2264 patients were reviewed using information obtained from the department database. The authors examined immediate postoperative relief in 2003 patients with typical and 672 with atypical TN, and long-term follow-up results in patients for whom more than 5 years of follow-up data were available (969 with typical and 219 with atypical TN). Outcomes were divided into three categories: excellent, pain relief without medication; good, mild or intermittent pain controlled with low-dose medication; and poor, no or poor pain relief with large amounts of medication. The results for typical and atypical TN were compared and patient history and pain characteristics were evaluated for possible predictive factors. Conclusions. In this study, MVD for typical TN resulted in complete postoperative pain relief in 80% of patients, compared with 47% with complete relief in those with atypical TN. Significant pain relief was achieved after 97% of MVDs in patients with typical TN and after 87% of these procedures for atypical TN. When patients were followed for more than 5 years, the long-term pain relief after MVD for those with typical TN was excellent in 73% and good in an additional 7%, for an overall significant pain relief in 80% of patients. In contrast, following MVD for atypical TN, the long-term results were excellent in only 35% of cases and good in an additional 16%, for overall significant pain relief in only 51%. Memorable onset and trigger points were predictive of better postoperative pain relief in both atypical and typical TN. Preoperative sensory loss was a negative predictor for good long-term results following MVD for atypical TN.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
yi ma ◽  
Yan-feng Li ◽  
Hai-tao Huang ◽  
Bin Wang ◽  
Quan-cai Wang

Abstract Background. We aimed to present the immediate and long term effect of percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (ITN). Methods. ITN patients who underwent PBC for the first time in the past seven years were enrolled. Base line data and immediate postoperative outcomes were collected by reviewing the medical records and long term results. Kaplan-Meier curve, life-table analysis proportional-hazards analysis were utilized to assess the long term results and the likelihood of tic recurrence. Results. 12,797 patients were enrolled. Immediate after the PBC procedure, complete and partial pain relief were achieved in 95.6% and 1.1% patients respectively, with no relief in 1.7 % patients; the common side effects on the affected side of face included the sense loss in 98.9% patients, with 3.8% of them experienced sense loss combined abnormal sense; masseter weakness in 90.6%, herpes eruption in 51.4%, corneal reflex weakness or loss in 12.7% patients. The fewer perioperative complications covered diplopia in 139 patients (1.1%), partial hearing loss in 190 patients (1.5%), vascular complications in 5 patients (0.05%), brainstem hematoma in one patient (0.01%), ischemic stroke in two patients (0.02%), intracranial hemorrhage in 11 patents (0.09%), and intracranial infection in one patient (0.01%) patients. Of three deaths happened in the perioperative period, two died of intracranial hemorrhage, and the other one died of intracranial infection. 5794 (49.2%) patients, who were followed than one year after the procedure, were included in the follow-up study, with the median follow-up period of 7.2 years. Complete and partial pain relief were obtained in 82.9% and 6.8% patients respectively, while the pain recurrence occurred in 8.5% patients. Side effects included sense loss without abnormal sense in 54.3%, with acceptable abnormal sense in 6.0%, and with severe abnormal sense in 2.0% patients. Masseter weakness was reported by 7.5% patients. 96.4% patients were satisfied with the procedure. Conclusion. Our study shows PBC is a safe, simple and effective procedure, with both immediate and long-term success rates, acceptable side effects and fewer deadly complications, should be considered as one of the best choice for the treatment of ITN patients.


1995 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 989-993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamal M. Taha ◽  
John M. Tew ◽  
C. Ralph Buncher

✓ There is a lack of prospective studies for the long-term results of percutaneous stereotactic radiofrequency rhizotomy (PSR) in the treatment of patients with trigeminal neuralgia. The authors present results in 154 consecutive patients with trigeminal neuralgia treated by PSR and prospectively followed for 15 years. Ninety-nine percent of the patients obtained initial pain relief after one PSR. Dysesthesia occurred in 31 patients (23%): in 7% with mild initial hypalgesia; in 15% with dense hypalgesia; and in 36% with analgesia. Dysesthesia was mild and did not require treatment in most patients. The corneal reflex was absent or depressed in 29 patients, and keratitis developed in three patients. In 19 of 22 patients with trigeminal motor weakness, the paresis resolved within 1 year. Of 33 patients who had pain recurrence, 10 patients had pain that was mild or controlled with medications, and 23 patients required additional surgical treatment. The authors estimated using Kaplan—Meier analysis that the 14-year recurrence rate was 25% in the total group: 60% in patients with mild hypalgesia, 25% in those with dense hypalgesia, and 20% in those with analgesia. Timing of pain recurrence varied according to the degree of sensory loss. All pain recurrences in patients with mild hypalgesia occurred within 4 years after surgery; 10% more of the patients with dense hypalgesia had pain recurrences within the first 10 years compared with patients with analgesia. The median pain-free survival rate was 32 months for patients with mild hypalgesia and more than 15 years for patients with either analgesia or dense hypalgesia. Of the 100 patients followed for 15 years after one or two PSR procedures, 95 patients (95%) rated the procedure excellent (77 patients) or good (18 patients). The authors conclude that PSR is an effective, safe treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. Dense hypalgesia in the painful trigger zone, rather than analgesia, should be the target lesion.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Jenny C. Kienzler ◽  
Stephen Tenn ◽  
Srinivas Chivukula ◽  
Fang-I Chu ◽  
Hiro D. Sparks ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE Precise and accurate targeting is critical to optimize outcomes after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for trigeminal neuralgia (TN). The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes after SRS for TN in which two different techniques were used: mask-based 4-mm cone versus frame-based 5-mm cone. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective review of patients who underwent SRS for TN at their institution between 1996 and 2019. The Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) pain score and facial hypesthesia scale were used to evaluate pain relief and facial numbness. RESULTS A total of 234 patients were included in this study; the mean age was 67 years. In 97 patients (41.5%) radiation was collimated by a mask-based 4-mm cone, whereas a frame-based 5-mm cone was used in the remaining 137 patients (58.5%). The initial adequate pain control rate (BNI I–III) was 93.4% in the frame-based 5-mm group, compared to 87.6% in the mask-based 4-mm group. This difference between groups lasted, with an adequate pain control rate at ≥ 24 months of 89.9% and 77.8%, respectively. Pain relief was significantly different between groups from initial response until the last follow-up (≥ 24 months, p = 0.02). A new, permanent facial hypesthesia occurred in 30.3% of patients (33.6% in the frame-based 5-mm group vs 25.8% in the mask-based 4-mm group). However, no significant association between the BNI facial hypesthesia score and groups was found. Pain recurrence occurred earlier (median time to recurrence 12 months vs 29 months, p = 0.016) and more frequently (38.1% vs 20.4%, p = 0.003) in the mask-based 4-mm than in the frame-based 5-mm group. CONCLUSIONS Frame-based 5-mm collimator SRS for TN resulted in a better long-term pain relief with similar toxicity profiles to that seen with mask-based 4-mm collimator SRS.


Neurosurgery ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 783-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Broggi ◽  
Angelo Franzini ◽  
Giovanni Lasio ◽  
Cesare Giorgi ◽  
Domenico Servello

Abstract Long-term results (average follow-up, 9.3 years) obtained in 1000 consecutive patients suffering from cryptogenetic (“essential”) trigeminal neuralgia treated with percutaneous thermorhizotomy are analyzed. Pain relief was obtained in 95% of the treated patients. Permanent morbidity was as follows: masseter weakness in 105 patients; oculomotor palsies in 5 patients; weakening of the corneal reflex in 197 patients, 6 of whom requested an ocular operation for keratitis; and painful dysesthesia in 52 patients, 15 of whom developed a painful anesthesia syndrome. There was a recurrence rate of 18.1%, and a correlation between postoperative sensory deficit and the cure rate was found. These results are discussed and compared to the results obtained with different techniques.


2019 ◽  
Vol 131 (5) ◽  
pp. 1583-1590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin J. Przybylowski ◽  
Tyler S. Cole ◽  
Jacob F. Baranoski ◽  
Andrew S. Little ◽  
Kris A. Smith ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEThe objective of this study was to assess long-term outcomes of facial pain and numbness after radiosurgery for multiple sclerosis (MS)–related trigeminal neuralgia (MS-TN).METHODSThe authors conducted a retrospective review of their Gamma Knife radiosurgeries (GKRSs) to identify all patients treated for MS-TN (1998–2014) with at least 3 years of follow-up. Treatment and clinical data were obtained via chart review and mailed or telephone surveys. Pain control was defined as a facial pain score of I–IIIb on the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) Facial Pain Intensity Scale. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to determine the rates of pain control after index and first salvage GKRS procedures. Patients could have had more than 1 salvage procedure. Pain control rates were based on the number of patients at risk during follow-up.RESULTSOf the 50 living patients who underwent GKRS, 42 responded to surveys (31 women [74%], median age 59 years, range 32–76 years). During the initial GKRS, the trigeminal nerve root entry zone was targeted with a single isocenter, using a 4-mm collimator with the 90% isodose line completely covering the trigeminal nerve and the 50% isodose line abutting the surface of the brainstem. The median maximum radiation dose was 85 Gy (range 50–85 Gy). The median follow-up period was 78 months (range 36–226 months). The rate of pain control after the index GKRS (n = 42) was 62%, 29%, 22%, and 13% at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years, respectively. Twenty-eight patients (67%) underwent salvage treatment, including 25 (60%) whose first salvage treatment was GKRS. The rate of pain control after the first salvage GKRS (n = 25) was 84%, 50%, 44%, and 17% at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years, respectively. The rate of pain control after the index GKRS with or without 1 salvage GKRS (n = 33) was 92%, 72%, 52%, 46%, and 17% at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 years, respectively. At last follow-up, 9 (21%) of the 42 patients had BNI grade I facial pain, 35 (83%) had achieved pain control, and 4 (10%) had BNI grade IV facial numbness (very bothersome in daily life).CONCLUSIONSIndex GKRS offers good short-term pain control for MS-TN, but long-term pain control is uncommon. If the index GKRS fails, salvage GKRS appears to offer beneficial pain control with low rates of bothersome facial numbness.


2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Lim ◽  
Alan T. Villavicencio ◽  
Sigita Burneikiene ◽  
Steven D. Chang ◽  
Pantaleo Romanelli ◽  
...  

Object Gamma knife surgery is an accepted treatment option for trigeminal neuralgia (TN). The safety and efficacy of CyberKnife radiosurgery as a treatment option for TN, however, has not been established. Methods Forty-one patients were treated between May 2002 and September 2004 for idiopathic TN at Stanford University and the Rocky Mountain CyberKnife Center. Patients with atypical pain, multiple sclerosis, or previous radiosurgical treatment or a follow-up duration of less than 6 months were excluded. Patients were evaluated for the level of pain control, response rate, time to pain relief, occurrence of hypesthesia, and time to pain recurrence with respect to the length of the nerve treated and the maximum and the minimum dose to the nerve margin. Thirty-eight patients (92.7%) experienced initial pain relief at a median of 7 days after treatment (range < 24 hours–4 months). Pain control was ranked as excellent in 36 patients (87.8%), moderate in two (4.9%), and three (7.3%) reported no change. Six (15.8%) of the 38 patients with initial relief experienced a recurrence of pain at a median of 6 months (range 2–8 months). Long-term response after a mean follow-up time of 11 months was found in 32 (78%) of 41. Twenty-one patients (51.2%) experienced numbness after treatment. Conclusions CyberKnife radiosurgery for TN has high rates of initial pain control and short latency to pain relief compared with those reported for other radiosurgery systems. The doses used for treatment were safe and effective. Higher prescribed doses were not associated with improvement in pain relief or recurrence rate. The hypesthesia rate was related to the length of the trigeminal nerve treated.


Neurosurgery ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Fraioli ◽  
Vincenzo Esposito ◽  
Beniamino Guidetti ◽  
Giorgio Cruccu ◽  
Mario Manfredi

Abstract From 1976 to 1986, 681 patients with drug-refractory trigeminal neuralgia (TN)—typical in 641, symptomatic of multiple sclerosis in 23 and of tumor in 10, atypical in 5, and postherpetic in 2—were treated with various percutaneous procedures. Controlled differential thermocoagulation of the gasserian ganglion and/or retrogasserian rootlets was performed in 533 patients; glycerolization of the trigeminal cistern in 32; and compression of the gasserian ganglion by balloon catheter in 159, Results and complications of each procedure are assessed at a mean follow-up of 6.5 years for thermocoagulation, 5 years for glycerolization, and 3.5 years for compression. The following therapeutic protocol is proposed: 1) in TN patients at first operation: a) gasserian compression (or glycerolization, if experience warrants it) is indicated in all cases of typical TN, unless the 3rd division alone is affected; b) in the latter case and in symptomatic TN, we suggest thermocoagulation; 2) in recurrences: a) after glycerolization or gasserian compression, gasserian compression (or glycerolization) is indicated; b) after thermocoagulation or open surgery, thermocoagulation is suggested.


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