Trigeminal neuralgia, also known as tic douloureux, is a condition that produces severe facial pain. This pain can be incapacitating.
About 15,000 new cases are diagnosed annually in the United States.
We have 3 convenient locations throughout Southeastern Wisconsin.
Symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia include severe pain, throbbing or twitching of the face.
There are two types of trigeminal neuralgia:
–Classic typical type 1 trigeminal neuralgia produces occasional pain, usually lasting only moments.
–Atypical type 2 trigeminal neuralgia is associated with constant, throbbing sensations.
Often the pain can be triggered by activities such as touching your mouth, talking, eating, brushing your teeth, shaving, a cold wind, or even a light breeze.
A neurological exam will be performed including touching areas of the face where the trigeminal nerve may be affected. Reflex tests will also help determine if you may have a pinched nerve or other conditions. In some cases, your doctor may inject a dye into a blood vessel to view the arteries and veins to visualize blood flow.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a magnetic resonance angiogram may be ordered to determine if outlying causes such as a tumor is causing your trigeminal neuralgia. These procedures can be performed onsite at The Brain and Spine Imaging Center, our facility in Franklin, WI.
Generally, a doctor will recommend non-surgical treatment options before resorting to surgery. The surgical approaches include:
Microvascular decompression:
Microvascular decompression is brain surgery to place a sponge-like material between the trigeminal nerve and adjacent blood vessels to alleviate pressure from blood flow.
Peripheral nerve branch block with phenol alcohol:
An injection into the nerve roots along the side of the head.
Percutaneous trigeminal rhizotomy with glycerol, balloon or radiofrequency:
Rhizotomy involves cutting a nerve root in the cheek.
Stereotactic radiosurgery:
Stereotactic radiosurgery is targeted radiation that destroys the trigeminal nerve so that the pain is no longer present.