Table 4.
Surgical procedures for trigeminal neuralgia
| Treatment | Possible adverse effects | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Description | Invasiveness | Jaw weakness | Dysaesthesia | Ipsilateral deafness | Corneal numbness | Mortality | ||
| Microvascular decompression23 w10 | Compressing vessel separated from nerve root | Craniotomy | 0.2% | 0-2.4% | 1% | 1.8% | 0.4% (reported range 0-14%) | ||
| Radiofrequency thermocoagulation7 23 | Radiofrequency needle uses heat to lesion trigeminal root | Percutaneous | <10.5% | 5.2-24% | <1% | 10% | 0% | ||
| Glycerol rhizotomy7 23 | Glycerol injection produces chemical lesion of trigeminal nerve root | Percutaneous | 3% | 8% | 0% | 8% | 0% | ||
| Balloon compression7 23 w11 w12 | Inflated balloon compresses trigeminal nerve root | Percutaneous | 3-66% | 6.7-8.5% | 7% | 3% | 0% | ||
| Stereotactic radiosurgery7 23 w13 | Stereotactic techniques—gamma knife or linear accelaratorw14—used to lesion the trigeminal nerve root | Non-invasive | 0% | 1.4% | 0.14% | 0.35% | 0% | ||