Cryosurgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia

Today, genuine trigeminal neuralgia is treated with carbamazepine preparations. Should this prove unsuccessful, a peripheral neurectomy is considered to be useful, even though it leads to an irreversible sensory loss in the supply area of the separated nerve. We treated 19 patients with a newly-developed vacuum-insulated cryoprobe through which nitrogen is passed, the cryoprobe being punctured through the mucosa. This resulted in a necrosis of the nerve cells and an elimination of the pain. About 3 months later, the treated nerve branch, showed sensitivity again. However? pain had been eliminated for a much longer period. Therefore, we now have at our disposal an additional method of treating trigeminal neuralgia which does not put too great a strain on the patients.