500 Percutaneous thermocoagulations of the Gasserian ganglion for trigeminal pain.

Five hundred patients with trigeminal pain underwent percutaneous thermocoagulation of the Gasserian ganglion. Of these 416 had classical trigeminal neuralgia, 49 had atypical facial pain and 35 had symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia. The patients ranged in age from 20 to 92 years. These patients have been followed for from eight to 57 months. The beneficial results of this operation and the complications are presented.