[Treatment of primitive trigeminal neuralgia by differential thermocoagulation of Gasser's ganglion (author's transl)].

The authors report their experience in the Treatment of essential Trigeminal Neuralgia with controlled increments of radiofrequency heating from an electrode inserted in the Gasserian ganglion or the posterior rootlets. Assuming that the less myelinated small fibers (A delta and C) are more sensitive to the heat than the heavily myelinated A beta and A alpha fibers, graduate controlled thermo coagulation could produce a differential destruction of pain fibers. 30 patients were treated with this method since 10 months. In all cases, the patients experienced immediate relief. There was no mortality and no neurological morbidity outside the trigeminal nerve. The most serious undesired result has been the production of anesthesia or marked hypesthesia in 10% of our cases.