Chinese expert consensus on minimally invasive interventional treatment of trigeminal neuralgia

Xiaochong Fan; Zhijian Fu; Ke Ma; Wei Tao; Bing Huang; Gang Guo; Dong Huang; Guangzhao Liu; Wenge Song; Tao Song; Lizu Xiao; Lingjie Xia; Yanqing Liu

doi:10.3389/fnmol.2022.953765

Chinese expert consensus on minimally invasive interventional treatment of trigeminal neuralgia

Front Mol Neurosci. 2022 Jul 28:15:953765. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.953765. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Xiaochong Fan¹, Zhijian Fu², Ke Ma³, Wei Tao⁴, Bing Huang⁵, Gang Guo⁶, Dong Huang⁷, Guangzhao Liu⁸, Wenge Song², Tao Song⁹, Lizu Xiao¹⁰, Lingjie Xia¹¹, Yanqing Liu¹²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
² Department of Pain Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China.
³ Department of Pain Medicine, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Department of Functional Neurosurgery, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
⁵ Department of Pain Medicine, The Affliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, China.
⁶ Department of Interventional Medicine, Lanzhou University First Hospital, Lanzhou, China.
⁷ Department of Pain Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
⁸ Department of Pain Medicine, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.
⁹ Department of Pain Medicine, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
¹⁰ Department of Pain Medicine, The Union Shenzhen Hospital of Huazhong Science and Technology University, Shenzhen, China.
¹¹ Department of Pain Medicine, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
¹² Department of Pain Medicine, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Trigeminal neuralgia is a common condition that is associated with severe pain, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. When the efficacy of drugs is not satisfactory or adverse drug reactions cannot be tolerated, minimally invasive interventional therapy has become an important treatment because of its simple operation, low risk, high repeatability and low cost. In recent years, minimally invasive interventional treatments, such as radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF) of the trigeminal nerve and percutaneous microcompression (PMC), have been widely used in the clinic to relieve severe pain in many patients, however, some related problems remain to be addressed. The Pain Association of the Chinese Medical Association organizes and compiles the consensus of Chinese experts to standardize the development of minimally invasive interventional treatment of trigeminal neuralgia to provide a basis for its clinical promotion and application.

Materials and methods: The Pain Association of the Chinese Medical Association organizes the Chinese experts to compile a consensus. With reference to the evidence-based medicine (OCEBM) system and the actual situation of the profession, the Consensus Development Committee adopts the nominal group method to adjust the recommended level.

Results: Precise imaging positioning and guidance are the keys to ensuring the efficacy and safety of the procedures. RF and PMC are the most widely performed and effective treatments among minimally invasive interventional treatments for trigeminal neuralgia.

Conclusions: The pain degree of trigeminal neuralgia is severe, and a variety of minimally invasive intervention methods can effectively improve symptoms. Radiofrequency and percutaneous microcompression may be the first choice for minimally invasive interventional therapy.

Keywords: headache; neuropathic pain; percutaneous microcompression; radiofrequency thermocoagulation; trigeminal neuralgia.

Publication types

Review