Trigeminal neuralgia is one of the strongest pains known to humans. Some patients do not have enough effect with the available pharmaceutical treatments and are offered surgery. There are different types of procedures and most of them are complex with a risk for complications. The researchers want to start a pilot study on 10 patients with a new surgical technique using neuronavigation. The target will be a neural structure (sphenopalatine ganglion) which has an important role in facial pain. There have been a few trials trying to block this structure in trigeminal neuralgia, but none using this new approach with botulinum toxin. The researchers technique requires local anesthesia only (awake patient). The researchers believe that this treatment can become a "low threshold"-treatment for patients who do not have enough effect with pharmacological treatment and a better alternative to other complex surgical approaches. Using this new neuronavigation system the researchers can reach this neural structure with high precision.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
10
Department of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Trondheim, Norway
Number of adverse events
Number of adverse events. Registration of any adverse events categorized by probable relationship to drug or the procedure. Data obtained from the headache diaries as well as open questions during consultations.
Time frame: for the follow-up period of 12 weeks
Number of attacks with trigeminal neuralgia
Time frame: 12 weeks
Intensity of the attacks
expressed as score on Visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain
Time frame: 12 weeks
Number of attacks with trigeminal neuralgia per 4 weeks per patient
Time frame: 12 weeks
Number of doses of analgesics per 4 weeks per patient
Time frame: 12 weeks
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