Trigeminal neuralgia is a severe pain syndrome that is most often due to a blood vessel compressing the trigeminal nerve where it originates from the brain in an area called the cerebellopontine angle. The attacks of Trigeminal Neuralgia can be spontaneous or provoked by even mild stimulation of the face. Trigeminal neuralgia affects women more often than men, and it's more likely to occur in people who are older than 50.
The pain from Trigeminal Neuralgia is debilitating and severely impairs the patient‘s ability to function. The condition causes episodes of intense, shooting pain in the eye, lips, nose, scalp, forehead, cheek or jaw. Often initially misdiagnosed as a dental problem or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, many patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia undergo multiple dental or oral surgeries until ultimately the proper diagnosis is made. Other disorders can also be confused with Trigeminal Neuralgia including Facial Shingles/ Herpes Zoster and Facial Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.
Depending on the patient‘s specific diagnosis, possible treatment options could include Gamma Knife® Radiosurgery, endoscopic brain surgery, endoscopic endonasal skull-base surgery, microvascular decompression, or traditional brain surgery approaches.