| Abstract | | The paper reviews the current methods of treating trigeminal neuralgia. Procedures on the preganglionic fibres are considered useless, while those at the ganglion level, such as thermocoagulation, chemoneurolysis, and percutaneous compression, represent acceptable methods of treatment. As it is generally acknowledged that trigeminal neuralgia is caused by arterial, or rarely, venous compression of the nerve, the autor advocates the use of neuro-vascular decompression, which is the method of choice in properly selected cases. Its major assets are etiological management of pain and preservation of nervous function. The advantages and disadvantages of the above mentioned procedures are discussed, and a short overview of a series of 220 patients treated by neuro-vascular decompression is presented.
|