Eskandar Ebram, Kumar Harendra, Boini Aishwarya, Velasquez Botero Felipe, El Hunjul Ghalib Nashaat, Nieto Salazar Maria A, Quinonez Jonathan, Dinh Bao, Mouhanna Joseph E
Medical School, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tallahassee, USA.
Research and Academic Affairs, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, PAK.
Cureus. 2023 Mar 15;15(3):e36193. doi: 10.7759/cureus.36193. eCollection 2023 Mar.
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, the largest of the cranial nerves. It is characterized by severe, sudden, and recurrent facial pain, often triggered by light touch or a breeze. Treatment options for TN include medication, nerve blocks, and surgery, but radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has emerged as a promising alternative. RFA is a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat energy to destroy the small portion of the trigeminal nerve responsible for the pain. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia and can be done as an outpatient procedure. RFA has been shown to provide long-term pain relief for TN patients with a low complication rate. However, RFA is not suitable for all TN patients and may not be effective for those with multiple pain sites. Despite these limitations, RFA is a valuable option for TN patients who are not responding to other treatments. Furthermore, RFA is a good alternative for a patient unsuitable for surgery. Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term effectiveness of RFA and identify the best candidates for the procedure.
三叉神经痛（TN）是一种影响三叉神经（最大的颅神经）的慢性疼痛病症。其特征为严重、突发且反复发作的面部疼痛，常由轻触或微风引发。TN的治疗选择包括药物治疗、神经阻滞和手术，但射频消融（RFA）已成为一种有前景的替代方法。RFA是一种微创手术，利用热能破坏导致疼痛的三叉神经的一小部分。该手术在局部麻醉下进行，可作为门诊手术。RFA已被证明能为TN患者提供长期疼痛缓解，且并发症发生率低。然而，RFA并不适用于所有TN患者，对有多个疼痛部位的患者可能无效。尽管有这些局限性，但对于对其他治疗无反应的TN患者，RFA是一种有价值的选择。此外，对于不适合手术的患者，RFA是一个很好的替代方法。需要进一步研究以充分了解RFA的长期有效性，并确定该手术的最佳适用人群。
