scholarly journals Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Concurrent Trigeminal Neuralgia and Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia

Cureus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiyasu Iwai ◽  
Kenichi Ishibashi ◽  
Kazuhiro Yamanaka
2018 ◽  
Vol 128 (5) ◽  
pp. 1372-1379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Pommier ◽  
Gustavo Touzet ◽  
Christian Lucas ◽  
Maximilien Vermandel ◽  
Serge Blond ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEGlossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is a rare and disabling condition. Just as for trigeminal neuralgia, Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is increasingly proposed as a therapeutic option for GPN. The purpose of this study was to assess long-term safety and efficacy of GKRS for this indication.METHODSFrom 2007 to 2015, 9 patients (4 male and 5 female) underwent a total of 10 GKRS procedures. All of the patients presented with GPN that was refractory to all medical treatment, and all had a long history of pain. One patient had previously undergone surgical microvascular decompression. In 5 cases, a neurovascular conflict had been identified on MRI. For the GKRS procedure, the glossopharyngeal nerve was localized on MRI and CT under stereotactic conditions. The target was located at the glossopharyngeal meatus of the jugular foramen. The dose administered to the nerve was 80 Gy in 3 procedures and 90 Gy in the others. Follow-up was planned for 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure and annually thereafter.RESULTSEight patients experienced an improvement in their pain. The median length of time from GKRS to symptom improvement in this group was 7 weeks (range 2–12 months). At the first follow-up, 6 patients were pain-free (pain intensity scores of I–III, based on an adaptation of the Barrow Neurological Institute scoring system for trigeminal neuralgia), including 4 patients who were also medication-free (I). One patient had partial improvement (IV) and 2 patients had no change. The mean duration of follow-up was 46 months (range 10–90 months). At the last follow-up 6 patients remained pain-free (pain scores of I–III), including 4 patients who were pain free with no medication (I). No side effect was observed.CONCLUSIONSBecause of its safety and efficacy, GKRS appears to be a useful tool for treatment of GPN, including first-line treatment.


2014 ◽  
Vol 121 (Suppl_2) ◽  
pp. 222-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Martínez-Álvarez ◽  
Nuria Martínez-Moreno ◽  
M. Elena Kusak ◽  
Germán Rey-Portolés

ObjectGlossopharyngeal neuralgia is difficult to treat. On the basis of results obtained by using Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) to treat trigeminal neuralgia, the authors have used GKS to treat glossopharyngeal neuralgia in a series of patients since 2007. Their objectives with this study were to demonstrate the usefulness and safety of GKS for treating glossopharyngeal neuralgia and to describe a simple treatment method.MethodsFrom 2007 through 2013, the authors treated glossopharyngeal neuralgia in 5 patients (4 women and 1 man), who ranged in age from 36 to 74 years. One patient had previously undergone treatment for trigeminal neuralgia at the Ruber International Hospital, Department of Functional Neurosurgery and Gamma Knife Radiosurgery. For all patients, before GKS, medical management did not control the pain. Three patients had previously undergone surgery (2 microvascular decompression and 1 rhizotomy) without improvement. For the GKS procedure, the nerve was localized by MRI and CT under stereotactic conditions and the target was located at the level of the glossopharyngeal meatus of the jugular foramen. For 1 patient, a maximum dose of 80 Gy was administrated with a 4-mm collimator, and for the others, the maximum dose was 90 Gy. The nerves located near the glossopharyngeal nerve received between 63 and 10 Gy, and the brainstem received less than 10 Gy. The mean follow-up time was 43 months (range 14–83 months).ResultsAll patients improved within 3–6 months after undergoing GKS. All 5 are without pain; 3 patients take no medication, but the other 2 patients continue to take medication. No neurological deficits after GKS were observed.ConclusionsGKS is useful and safe for treating glossopharyngeal neuralgia, even for patients who have previously undergone surgery. GKS should be considered as the initial therapy for glossopharyngeal neuralgia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 727-735
Author(s):  
Peter Shih-Ping Hung ◽  
Sarasa Tohyama ◽  
Jia Y. Zhang ◽  
Mojgan Hodaie

OBJECTIVEGamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is a noninvasive surgical treatment option for patients with medically refractive classic trigeminal neuralgia (TN). The long-term microstructural consequences of radiosurgery and their association with pain relief remain unclear. To better understand this topic, the authors used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to characterize the effects of GKRS on trigeminal nerve microstructure over multiple posttreatment time points.METHODSNinety-two sets of 3-T anatomical and diffusion-weighted MR images from 55 patients with TN treated by GKRS were divided within 6-, 12-, and 24-month posttreatment time points into responder and nonresponder subgroups (≥ 75% and < 75% reduction in posttreatment pain intensity, respectively). Within each subgroup, posttreatment pain intensity was then assessed against pretreatment levels and followed by DTI metric analyses, contrasting treated and contralateral control nerves to identify specific biomarkers of successful pain relief.RESULTSGKRS resulted in successful pain relief that was accompanied by asynchronous reductions in fractional anisotropy (FA), which maximized 24 months after treatment. While GKRS responders demonstrated significantly reduced FA within the radiosurgery target 12 and 24 months posttreatment (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively), nonresponders had statistically indistinguishable DTI metrics between nerve types at each time point.CONCLUSIONSUltimately, this study serves as the first step toward an improved understanding of the long-term microstructural effect of radiosurgery on TN. Given that FA reductions remained specific to responders and were absent in nonresponders up to 24 months posttreatment, FA changes have the potential of serving as temporally consistent biomarkers of optimal pain relief following radiosurgical treatment for classic TN.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 533-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Woo Chang ◽  
Jae Young Choi ◽  
Young Sul Yoon ◽  
Yong Gou Park ◽  
Sang Sup Chung

✓ The purpose of this paper was to present two cases of secondary trigeminal neuralgia (TN) with an unusual origin and lesion location. In two cases TN was caused by lesions along the course of the trigeminal nerve within the pons and adjacent to the fourth ventricle. Both cases presented with typical TN. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed linear or wedge-shaped lesions adjacent to the fourth ventricle, extending anterolaterally and lying along the pathway of the intraaxial trigeminal fibers. The involvement of the nucleus of the spinal trigeminal tract and of the principal sensory trigeminal nucleus with segmental demyelination are suggested as possible causes for trigeminal pain in these cases. It is postulated that these lesions are the result of an old viral neuritis. The patients underwent gamma knife radiosurgery and their clinical responses have been encouraging to date.


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.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document