Sunday, November 14, 2010

Microvascular Decompression Trigeminal Neuralgia

Microvascular Decompression surgery is a medical procedure that is often done to provide pain relief that is associated with the trigeminal neuralgia. Trigeminal Neuralgia is caused when the fifth cranial nerve is irritated. This will result in the individual experience severe pain, usually on one side of the face.




Generally when Microvascular Decompression is used to treat trigeminal neuralgia, the skull is opened where the trigeminal nerve is located. Doctors will place a small sponge between the nerver and either the petrosal vein or cerebellar artery. This sponge will remove any compression the vessels may cause on the nerve.

Be Wary of Facial Pain, It Could Be Trigeminal Neuralgia

People who often experience bouts of pain in the nose, lips, jaws, eyes, or forehead should be very wary. All these symptoms could be signs of the very serious medical condition known as Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN).




Trigeminal Neuralgia is a very common condition, were the patient suffers from excruciating pain. This condition has been often called the “suicide disease”, as many people cannot handle the intense pain and would rather end their life and instead of dealing with it.



This condition usually occurs when an arm of vein or artery makes contact with a nerve at the bottom of the brain. The contact caused by the vein or artery will cause pressure to be placed on the nerve and this in turn results in a breakdown or something going wrong in the brain.



The episodes of pain associated with the condition can be extremely severe. It can be triggered by different activities such as brushing the teeth, chewing and even wind blowing on the face. Generally only one side of the face is affected by pain at a given time. The pain can be focused in one area or spread into a much wider area.



There are many different treatments for this particular condition. These include the use of different types of medications, drugs and injections. If any of pulse fail to work, then surgery / Gamma Knife  is often considered.

Trigeminal Neuralgia: What You Need To Know

Trigeminal Neuralgia (tic douloureux) is a painful neurological condition that many people often claim is a curse, due to the pain associated with it. It is a rare condition and it is mostly found in people over 50 years of age, even though people in other age groups can be affected by it. Women have a higher chance of getting the condition and this is 1.5 more times likely, compared to men. The Trigeminal Neuralgia Association has stated that 5% of patients who suffer from this condition also have a family history of it.







The pain associated with Trigeminal Neuralgia can be debilitating as the pain is so severe. The symptoms associated with the disorder are severe facial pain, which affects one side of the face. The pain is a result of an artery or blood vessel pressing down on the trigeminal nerve located at the base of the brain. Generally the pain from the condition, usually affects the lower parts of the face such as the jaw. The pain is often described as a sharp, acute pain that is almost similar to electric shocks.



Aside from the blood vessels pressing down on the Trigeminal Neuralgia, damage to the nerve can also because by injuries to the face, surgical or dental procedures. However in many of the patients who suffer from this condition, there is no outright cause.



The onset of pain associated with Trigeminal Neuralgia can often be triggered by simple actions such as eating, brushing the teeth, applying makeup, shaving, sneezing, drinking cold or hot beverages and even a light wind. Most people who suffer from the condition often state that the pain just appeared out of nowhere one day.






Dr.Sanjay Mongia
http://www.trigeminalneuralgia.in

Friday, November 12, 2010

Radiosurgery Effective for MS-Trigeminal Neuralgia

Gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GKS) appears to be an effective option for the long-term management of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study  presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 in San Diego.

Tejan P. Diwanji, of the University of Maryland in Baltimore, and colleagues treated 13 MS patients with TN with GKS between 1998 and 2001 and followed them for a median of 67 months after treatment.
The investigators found that the median time to pain relief was one week. Six patients discontinued their TN-related medications. However, none of the patients who had no TN symptom relief after GKS were able to reduce or discontinue TN-related medications. The median duration of pain relief for patients that responded to the first GKS was 36 months. Actuarial freedom from treatment failure was 42.9 percent at one and three years and 28.6 percent at five years. No treatment-related complications were observed. Only one patient experienced transient numbness after GKS .